It was a frightening sight at movie theaters this Halloween weekend. Not because of the gripping, terrorizing films, but rather because of vanishing audiences. Despite anticipated films fighting neck and neck for the No. 1 spot, it turned out to be the lowest-grossing Halloween weekend in 31 years. How ironic.
According to industry trackers and Comscore — a trusted media analytics company that measures audiences across various media — domestic ticket sales for Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 fell to approximately $49 million, meaning it was the lowest-grossing weekend of 2025. This made for the worst Halloween weekend at the box office in over three decades — excluding 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting theaters that year.
To put this into perspective, the last time turnout was this low was in 1993, and, in addition, the entire month of October only grossed about $425 million, the weakest non-pandemic October since 1997. The dramatic drop arrives on the cusp of Thanksgiving, a period packed with buzzy studio releases that hopefully can jolt the box office back to life like “Wicked: For Good” and “Zootopia 2.”
Paramount’s “Regretting You” and Blumhouse’s “Black Phone 2” crowned the horrific weekend. The Blumhouse horror sequel, starring Ethan Hawke, dominated the weekend, coming in at $8.3 million in its third week. “Regretting You,” the long-awaited adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, trailed behind with just $7.8 million domestically. This was a drop of 41% compared to the adaptation’s previous weekend. The remainder of the films in the top 10 collectively struggled Halloween weekend, with no movie in theaters breaking $10 million domestically.
“Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc,” an anime adaptation, claimed the No. 3 spot at about $6 million. Meanwhile, “Bugonia” expanded widely and took in approximately $5 million — the largest opening to date for director Yorgos Lanthimos. Even re-releases felt the squeeze: the 40th-anniversary run of “Back to the Future” grossed under $5 million over the weekend, signaling that even nostalgia couldn’t offset the broader slump.
Several factors collided to produce this eerie result. The most immediate culprit? A lack of major studio releases and original horror films. Major distributors like Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal opted not to launch any tent-pole — major, high-budget — films during the Halloween frame, leaving theaters with only holdovers and modestly budgeted new entries. Without a blockbuster draw, audience turnout plummeted.
Timing also got in the way of theaters’ plans. Halloween fell on a Friday this year, which is typically the busiest moviegoing day of the week. Instead of purchasing tickets, millions of prospective viewers hit costume parties, went trick-or-treating or streamed from the comfort of their own homes. As The Hollywood Reporter pointed out, even avid horror audiences favored the couch over cinema seats.
Other entertainment sources served as major obstacles that added to the pain. The weekend overlapped with the World Series and multiple high-profile streaming premieres, diverting attention from theatrical releases. High ticket prices and the general convenience of on-demand entertainment siphoned off attention from audiences to head to the multiplex.
At the end of the day, most sources attributed low box office figures to the fact that the biggest films of the month simply did not drive in audiences.
“The major releases this month failed to deliver, Jeff Bock, box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co, said to Variety. “Simple as that. Apart from the moderately successful Black Phone 2, there just weren’t enough horror films to entice moviegoers.”
The deeper implications aren’t confined to single weekends — the result is rippling through the industry.
AMC, one of the largest theater chains in the U.S., reported a net quarterly loss of $298.2 million, attributed largely to non-cash charges from refinancing, even though revenue held up better than expected. The stark number is a signal that financial strain persists from maintaining large theater networks with dwindling attendance.
At the same time, Cinemark posted sharply lower Q3 revenues and earnings — its net income dropped to about $50.5 million, down from around $189 million the year prior. These results offer insight into the declining popularity of the theater. Halloween is historically one of the strongest revenue weekends, but with it underperforming to this extent, that raises questions regarding structural pressure on the theatrical business model.
Theater attendance has yet to recover the pre-pandemic momentum of a summer with moderate successes but few enduring blockbusters. Increasingly discerning audiences have been venturing into theaters mostly for big franchise or cultural event movies. That shift leaves quieter months like October especially vulnerable when studios hesitate to release big-budget features.
The good news? There are still major releases ahead this holiday season, as films like “Wicked: For Good,” “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” should draw audiences back to the big screen.
Regardless, moviegoing will remain a niche outing rather than a cultural routine without compelling releases. Halloween weekend’s severe setback signals an industry struggling to adapt and one that may need to reinvent itself for a new era of viewing habits and expectations. For an operation built on spectacle, that may be the scariest sight yet.
Fiona Clancy is an Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer for the fall 2025 quarter. She can be reached at clancyf@uci.edu.
Edited by June Min and Joshua Gonzales