Hold onto your seats, movie fans, because the box office is buzzing with surprises this weekend! Blumhouse might finally be breaking its cold streak with The Black Phone 2 landing right where predictions placed it. According to Deadline, the sequel is set to debut in the $23 million range, mirroring the original’s 2021 opening—no small feat for a horror follow-up. But here’s where it gets controversial: while the numbers are solid, don’t expect it to match the original’s $91 million domestic haul. It’s more likely to follow in the footsteps of Smile 2, capping off around $50-60 million. Is that enough to greenlight The Black Phone 3? Probably not, but it’s Blumhouse’s strongest opening in ages, and its B CinemaScore is impressive for the genre (though the original’s B+ still holds the crown).
And this is the part most people miss: comedies are still struggling to find their footing in theaters. Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, despite boasting heavyweights like Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen, is projected to limp in with just $6 million. Even a stellar B+ CinemaScore can’t save it. Are audiences simply saving their laughs for the couch? It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when Tron: Ares is poised to outpace it with an $11.5 million second weekend—though that’s a steep 65% drop, signaling the franchise’s likely demise.
Meanwhile, Julia Roberts’ After the Hunt seems to be another awards-bait misfire, earning a lackluster C-minus CinemaScore. It’s following in the footsteps of The Smashing Machine and Roofman, which is expected to drop 55% in its second week, pulling in just $3.5 million. At least One Battle After Another is holding strong, adding an estimated $3.8 million to its $61.7 million total.
But here’s the real question: What does this say about the state of cinema today? Are horror sequels and home-viewing comedies the new norm? Or is there still room for innovation and risk-taking at the box office? Let us know what you’re watching this weekend and whether you think these trends are here to stay—we’re all ears in the comments!
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief - JoBlo
Favorite Movies: Goodfellas, A Clockwork Orange, Boogie Nights, Goldfinger, Casablanca, Scarface (1983), Heat, The Guns of Navarone, The Dirty Dozen, Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Blade Runner, and any film noir.
Likes: Movies, LPs, James Bond, true Hollywood memoirs, The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, every ’60s British pop band, every ’80s new wave band (yes, even the cheesy ones), and of course, Tom Friggin' Cruise!
