The new Halloween movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis opened in the United States and Canada over the weekend, and it was a massive success. The movie pulled in an estimated $77.5 million over the Friday-Sunday period, according to Entertainment Weekly. That’s good for the second-biggest October opening in history, only behind Venom, which made $80.3 million for its first weekend earlier this month. It’s also the second-highest start for an R-rated horror movie, behind only the killer clown movie It ($123.4 million).
Halloween, which is a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, had a reported budget of only $10 million, so it’s already a huge commercial success, it would seem. Jamie Lee Curtis responded to the box office numbers with a tweet that also mentions that Halloween is the biggest opening for a horror movie with a female lead and the biggest start for any movie with a female lead over 55. She also points out that Halloween set a new franchise record for how much money it made on its first weekend.
The new Halloween is directed by David Gordon Green, who previously helmed the Seth Rogen stoner movie Pineapple Express, as well as the Sandra Bullock film Our Brand Is Crisis.As mentioned, Jamie Lee Curtis returns to play Laurie Strode as she yet again fights against the masked murdered Michael Myers. John Carpenter, who directed 1978’s Halloween, is attached to the new film as a creative consultant.
GameSpot’s review of the new Halloween was mostly positive.
“Halloween doesn’t reinvent the wheel or create a new subgenre of horror. What it does is take the best parts of all the films in the franchise, and deliver the ultimate companion piece to Carpenter’s 1978 masterpiece,” reviewer Rafael Motamayor said. “It’s a film that not only has something to say about trauma and PTSD, but also delivers a bloody, fun time at the theater. Will Michael Myers return again? Who knows, but we sure as hell welcome him home.”
For more on the Halloween franchise, check out GameSpot’s ranking of the Halloween films. You can also check out GameSpot’s interview with producer Jason Blum where he talks about how they were able to convince John Carpenter to return.
The new Halloween movie crushed the competition at the US/Canada box office this weekend. You can see the full Top 10 list for October 19-21 below.
- Halloween — $77.5 million
- A Star Is Born — $19.3 million
- Venom — $18.1 million
- Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween — $9.7 million
- First Man — $8.6 million
- The Hate U Give — $7.5 million
- Smallfoot — $6.6 million
- Night School — $5 million
- Bad Times at the El Royale — $3.3 million
- The Old Man and the Gun — $2.1 million
