Hollywood’s October Box Office Crashes to 27-Year Low Amid Weak Lineup and Flops

Halloween proved extra frightening for Hollywood this year—at least financially. North American box office revenue for October 2025 is expected to total around $425 million, marking the industry’s worst October in 27 years, according to Comscore. The only exception remains October 2020, when pandemic restrictions held revenue to just $55 million.

The last time numbers were this bleak was October 1997, when ticket sales hit $385.2 million (unadjusted for inflation). Since then, October had grown into a reliable moneymaker—reaching a record $832.8 million in 2018 thanks to Venom, A Star Is Born, and Halloween—but 2025 reversed that momentum dramatically.

A Perfect Storm of Problems

Industry analysts cite a mix of factors for the steep decline: lingering production delays from the labor strikes, a sluggish late summer, and an overall shortage of compelling releases. Traditionally, October has been a breather between the summer blockbuster season and the holiday rush—but in recent years, it’s become a spot for high-profile launches and Oscar hopefuls.

This year, however, few titles connected with audiences. Disney’s long-awaited Tron: Ares led the month with just $63.4 million domestic, the weakest performance for an October opener (outside the pandemic) since Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit in 2005.

Another major disappointment was Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine, directed by Benny Safdie and distributed by A24. Despite early awards buzz, the R-rated drama grossed only $11.4 million domestically and $19.7 million worldwide—one of the lowest totals of Johnson’s career.

A Few Unexpected Bright Spots

Without Taylor Swift’s surprise concert event The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, the numbers would have been even worse. The pop superstar’s film pulled in $34.2 million during its opening weekend, easily outperforming The Smashing Machine. Anime also delivered rare wins: Chainsaw Man: The Movie opened to a strong $18 million, outpacing Black Phone 2, while Demon Slayer: Infinity continued to bring in steady returns.

Meanwhile, Disney’s Deliver Me From Nowhere, a Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White, opened below expectations at $8.9 million domestically. And Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat II, once slated for late October, was postponed to May 2026—leaving a gaping hole in the release schedule.

Looking Ahead

Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian noted that October’s collapse followed a weak August and September, leaving the fall movie season without momentum. “Now all eyes are on early November releases like Predator: Badlands and The Running Man to carry us into the holiday corridor,” he said.

The hope is that Thanksgiving and Christmas blockbusters—Wicked: For Good (Nov. 21), Zootopia 2 (Nov. 26), Avatar: Fire and Ash (Dec. 19), and The SpongeBob Movie (Dec. 19)—will reignite audience enthusiasm and keep 2025’s domestic total from falling below last year’s $8.9 billion.

Still, optimism is cautious. As Dergarabedian put it: “There are a lot of variables. The industry needs a hit—or two—to turn this around before the year ends.”

October 30, 2025

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