The Three Missing Movies To Blame For The Worst October Box Office In Decades

The lowest (sans inflation) domestic October totals since 1997 are mostly about 'Michael' and 'Mortal Kombat II' being delayed to 2026 as 'Saw XI' found itself in purgatory.

As discussed yesterday, in a healthy theatrical ecosystem, it would be mere trivia that Hollywood barely bothered to offer up any “new” movies on this “Halloween falls on a Friday” weekend. However, the last time Halloween fell on a Friday was in 2014. Back then, a movie like Nightcrawler (my pick for ‘best movie of the year,’ natch) might be expected to open with $10 million, with the top seven films all earning between $7 million and $11 million domestically. For example, John Wick earned $8 million (-44%) in its second frame. That weekend totaled $74 million, compared to this year’s $45 million Halloween weekend.

Last October was the lowest-grossing overall October, sans 2020, since 1997. With inflation, it’s the lowest October since, well, when did From the Earth to the Moon open? Among in-month newbies, the $303 million total marked the worst since 1991’s $234 million. Heck, it was even below 1989’s Look Who’s Talking-enhanced $331 million. In a prior generation, films like Regretting You, Good Fortune and Deliver Me From Nowhere were the kind of “just a movie” movies that would have been considered safe mid-level releases amid the tentpoles. However, the key culprit remains the biggies — Lionsgate’s Michael, Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat II, and Lionsgate’s Saw XI — that didn’t open in October.