Blumhouse Makes a Comeback as ‘Black Phone 2’ Tops the Box Office With $42M Worldwide
Blumhouse is back in the game. Black Phone 2,
directed by Scott Derrickson, opened to an impressive $26.5 million at the
domestic box office from 3,411 theaters and added another $15.5 million from 72
international markets, bringing its global debut to $42 million. The R-rated
horror sequel, made for a modest $30 million, delivered a much-needed win for
Jason Blum’s Universal-based studio, following a string of underperformers,
including the costly flop M3GAN 2.0 earlier this year.
The sequel easily secured the No. 1 spot in North America,
outperforming expectations and topping Disney’s sci-fi tentpole Tron: Ares.
Critics praised Black Phone 2 for effectively expanding the franchise’s
universe, and it earned a solid B CinemaScore—considered strong for a horror
film. Notably, Latino audiences, who are among the most frequent moviegoers in
the U.S., made up about 39% of the film’s opening weekend crowd.
Internationally, Mexico led with $4.3 million—a standout result for a horror
release.
The movie brings back Ethan Hawke as the masked killer known
as the Grabber and Mason Thames as Finn. This time, the story centers on the
Grabber’s vengeful return from beyond the grave to torment Finn’s younger
sister Gwen, played by Madeleine McGraw.
Universal had initially projected an $18 million domestic
opening, but pre-release tracking more accurately predicted a stronger showing.
The original Black Phone debuted in 2021 with $23.6 million domestically
and went on to become a sleeper hit, grossing over $161 million
worldwide—before horror fatigue began to slow the genre’s momentum at the box
office.
Meanwhile, Tron: Ares dropped more than 65% in its
second weekend, earning $11.1 million from 4,000 theaters for a domestic total
of $54.6 million over 10 days. Overseas, the film grossed $14.1 million,
including a disappointing $2.8 million in China, bringing its global total to
$103 million. That’s a tough start given its hefty $180 million production
budget.
Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut Good Fortune, a $30
million R-rated comedy, had a lackluster opening despite strong reviews and a
high-profile cast featuring Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh,
and Ansari himself. The film, about a scrappy guardian angel assigned to save
someone’s soul, took in just $6.2 million from 2,990 locations, landing in
third place.
Warner Bros.’ One Battle After Another crossed the
$100 million mark internationally during its fourth weekend, for a total global
gross of $162.5 million. Domestically, it earned $4 million from 2,532
theaters, with a North American total of $61.9 million.
Miramax’s crime comedy Roofman, starring Channing
Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, landed in fifth place during its second weekend. It
brought in $3.7 million from 3,379 theaters, bringing its domestic earnings to
$15.5 million and global total to $16.4 million—just shy of its $19 million production
cost. Paramount handled distribution in the U.S., U.K., and Canada.
Truth & Treason, a Nazi Holocaust drama from
Angel Studios, debuted in sixth place with $2.7 million from 2,106 locations.
Based on a true story, it was the only new wide release to receive an A
CinemaScore.
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