‘Black Phone 2’ tops box office with $26.5 million opening weekend

Blumhouse’s horror sequel ‘Black Phone 2’ scares up $26.5 million, leading a quiet October weekend at the box office

Blumhouse and Universal’s latest horror sequel, Black Phone 2, has dominated the domestic box office, earning $26.5 million from 3,411 theaters across North America.

The follow-up to the 2022 hit easily claimed the top spot in what proved to be an otherwise muted October weekend for moviegoers.

Directed by Scott Derrickson, the film sees Ethan Hawke return as the chilling Grabber. Its debut slightly outperformed the original Black Phone, which opened to $23 million during a busier 2022 summer season alongside Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World: Dominion.

Internationally, Black Phone 2 grossed $15.5 million, pushing its global total to $42 million. With a production budget of $30 million — higher than the first film’s $18 million — the sequel’s early success gives Blumhouse a solid start to the Halloween season. Though reviews have been decent, audiences awarded it a CinemaScore “B”, slightly below the original’s “B+.”

Universal’s domestic distribution head Jim Orr credited strong word-of-mouth for the turnout, saying: “Blumhouse and Scott Derrickson have crafted something terrifying with a fantastic cast — exactly what audiences want in theaters.”

Elsewhere, Disney’s Tron: Ares landed in second place with $11.1 million, marking a 66% drop from its opening. Aziz Ansari’s comedy Good Fortune opened in third with $6.2 million despite positive reviews.

October’s box office remains 11% lower than last year, according to Comscore, as Hollywood continues to navigate post-strike release gaps. Still, Black Phone 2’s performance reinforces Blumhouse’s knack for turning low-budget horror into box office hits — setting the stage for its next release, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, later this year.