‘Black Phone 2’ Dominates Box Office with $42 Million Debut

UPDATE: The horror film Black Phone 2 has surged to the top of the box office, raking in $42 million globally during its opening weekend. This sequel to the 2022 hit has made a significant impact, with $26.5 million of that total coming from North America.

This impressive debut outpaces its predecessor, which launched with $23.3 million domestically and $35.8 million worldwide. The latest numbers offer a crucial win for Blumhouse, following disappointing performances from earlier 2025 releases like M3GAN 2.0 and Wolf Man.

Directed by Scott Derrickson and featuring returning stars Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, and Miguel Cazarez Mora, Black Phone 2 follows the chilling aftermath of the original film. While Hawke’s character, the child-abducting Grabber, is dead, he continues to haunt the children who thwarted him through a sinister black phone in a summer camp setting. The film, which diverges from its source material—a short story by Joe Hill—has received generally positive reviews, adding to the excitement.

In stark contrast, Tron: Ares has plummeted by 65% in North America, earning an additional $11.1 million for a new domestic total of $54.6 million. The Disney sequel also struggled internationally, collecting a mere $14.1 million, failing to resonate with audiences in China during its opening weekend. With a combined global total of just $103 million, the future of the Tron series appears bleak.

Meanwhile, anticipation builds for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix, with no box office figures released yet. However, that may change as its limited release expands to more theaters next weekend.

Looking ahead, next weekend promises a slate of new films including Yorgos Lanthimos’ comedy Bugonia, Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead, and Chris Stuckmann’s horror debut Shelby Oaks, all set to hit theaters on October 24. Notably, the Halloween weekend lacks genre films, but November 7 will see the release of Predator: Badlands.

Stay tuned for further updates as the box office landscape continues to evolve.