Box Office Hits Rock Bottom as North America Sees Lowest Monthly Total Since 1997
North American box office earnings plummeted to a dismal record low last month, shattering all expectations of a typical Halloween season boost. The total haul for October came in at $425 million (£323 million), the lowest figure since 1997, when the month's takings clocked in at $385 million – excluding the COVID-19 pandemic's devastating impact on cinemas in 2020.
Industry insiders point to a lackluster lineup of potential blockbusters as a major contributor to the disappointing results. While Tron: Ares was the only large-scale effects movie to hit theaters, it failed to impress, raking in just $67 million domestically and a paltry $133 million worldwide against a reported budget of $180 million.
The highly anticipated "awards season" films also underperformed, with Dwayne Johnson's wrestling drama The Smashing Machine, Julia Roberts' #MeToo drama After the Hunt, and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere failing to attract audiences. Notably, none of these movies managed to break the $100 million mark worldwide.
The Halloween weekend, typically a lucrative period for horror movies, was also a letdown. Despite the date falling on a Friday, which usually draws in large crowds, box office receipts were the lowest of the year, with just $48.3 million generated during the three-day stretch from October 31 to November 2.
The poor performance can be attributed in part to the absence of successful horror releases, including Black Phone 2, which managed a modest $8 million over the weekend, and Shelby Oaks, which tanked with just $770,000 despite its extensive release in over 1,700 theaters.
Baseball's World Series climaxing on November 2 also seems to have drawn moviegoers away from the box office. As one analyst succinctly put it, "The major releases this month failed to deliver." With no horror movies to speak of and a lackluster lineup overall, it's clear that something went terribly wrong for North American cinemas last October.
However, not all was lost – Taylor Swift's The Official Release Party of a Showgirl proved to be an exception, attracting a whopping $34 million between its limited two-week run in theaters.
North American box office earnings plummeted to a dismal record low last month, shattering all expectations of a typical Halloween season boost. The total haul for October came in at $425 million (£323 million), the lowest figure since 1997, when the month's takings clocked in at $385 million – excluding the COVID-19 pandemic's devastating impact on cinemas in 2020.
Industry insiders point to a lackluster lineup of potential blockbusters as a major contributor to the disappointing results. While Tron: Ares was the only large-scale effects movie to hit theaters, it failed to impress, raking in just $67 million domestically and a paltry $133 million worldwide against a reported budget of $180 million.
The highly anticipated "awards season" films also underperformed, with Dwayne Johnson's wrestling drama The Smashing Machine, Julia Roberts' #MeToo drama After the Hunt, and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere failing to attract audiences. Notably, none of these movies managed to break the $100 million mark worldwide.
The Halloween weekend, typically a lucrative period for horror movies, was also a letdown. Despite the date falling on a Friday, which usually draws in large crowds, box office receipts were the lowest of the year, with just $48.3 million generated during the three-day stretch from October 31 to November 2.
The poor performance can be attributed in part to the absence of successful horror releases, including Black Phone 2, which managed a modest $8 million over the weekend, and Shelby Oaks, which tanked with just $770,000 despite its extensive release in over 1,700 theaters.
Baseball's World Series climaxing on November 2 also seems to have drawn moviegoers away from the box office. As one analyst succinctly put it, "The major releases this month failed to deliver." With no horror movies to speak of and a lackluster lineup overall, it's clear that something went terribly wrong for North American cinemas last October.
However, not all was lost – Taylor Swift's The Official Release Party of a Showgirl proved to be an exception, attracting a whopping $34 million between its limited two-week run in theaters.
I'm kinda surprised by this low box office haul, but at the same time, it's not entirely unexpected. I mean, we've seen how tough it's been for movies to really take off since the pandemic, and with so many big releases coming out, it's just gonna be hard to keep people interested. 
The lack of decent horror flicks was a major factor, but it's also got something to do with the fact that we're all kinda burned out on superhero movies and whatnot. Still, I think Taylor Swift's little showstopper did pretty well for itself, so maybe there's still hope for cinema! 
what's going on with these blockbusters?! i mean, tron: ares is a total mess - $67 million domestic? that's like a joke! and don't even get me started on the awards season dramas... dwanye johnson in a wrestling movie? who thought that was a good idea? 
and what happened to the horror movies?! black phone 2 only made $8 mil?! 
. but still, a record low of $425 million? that's crazy! when will we see some decent movies come out?! 
What about all the mindless thrillers that are flooding the market? People can't even think straight anymore. And don't even get me started on Taylor Swift... is she trying to distract us from the real issues? 
... I mean, what happened to all the epic blockbusters we used to see? Like, Tron: Ares was supposed to be this huge sci-fi spectacle, but it tanked like a poorly made fanfic 
. And don't even get me started on those "awards season" movies – who thought Dwayne Johnson's wrestling drama was gonna be a thing? 
I know some people were hyped about it, but it looks like it was a bit of a dud. And don't even get me started on The Smashing Machine - what was that even supposed to be? 
I mean, with streaming services getting better and better, people can just stay home and watch whatever they want. It's like, what's the point of even going to the movies anymore?
not even close to what we're used to seeing during the holidays. and yeah, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl being the only one that broke through is just... weird 