The North American box office slowed sharply over the weekend following two consecutive weekends of overperforming releases, as overall ticket sales dropped nearly 50% from last weekend, according to studio estimates. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures’ ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle’ remained at the top, earning $17.3 million. The anime hit has now grossed $104.7 million, making it the highest-grossing anime film ever in North America.
Universal Pictures’ ‘Him’, a football horror film produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw and directed by Justin Tipping, debuted in second place with $13.5 million from 3,168 North American theatres.
The film drew an audience that was 52% male and 65% over the age of 25, and earned $400,000 internationally. Starring Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans, ‘Him’ struggled with both critics and audiences, carrying a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Close behind, Warner Bros’ ‘The Conjuring: Last Rights’ took in $13 million in its third weekend. With a global total of $400 million, it is now the biggest film in the Conjuring franchise.
Horror continued to dominate, with three titles — ‘Demon Slayer’, ‘Him’, and ‘The Conjuring: Last Rights’ — among the top 10. According to Comscore, the genre has generated $1.1 billion domestically this year, just shy of the 2017 record.
Sony’s original romance ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’, starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, earned only $3.5 million from 3,300 locations and received negative reviews, holding a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Among other releases, ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ added $6.3 million in its second weekend for a $31.6 million total. Stephen King’s ‘The Long Walk’ also grossed $6.3 million, reaching $22.7 million domestically, surpassing its $20 million budget. Anniversary re-releases contributed modestly, with Ron Howard’s ‘Apollo 13’ earning $600,000 in 200 theatres and Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ adding $1.4 million in its second weekend.
Looking ahead, Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ is set for release next weekend, while AMC Theaters will host a nationwide release party for Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ from Oct. 3-5.
