Halloween Kills slays with strong $68m debut, The Last Duel bombs
LOS ANGELES: It is that time of the year.
Films about death, dying and carnage topped the North American box office over the weekend, led by Universal and Blumhouse's Halloween Kills with a strong opening take of US$50.4 million (S$68 million), industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Sunday.
The three-day estimate represented the biggest opening for a horror flick during the pandemic era, topping A Quiet Place Part II, which opened with US$47.5 million.
And it came despite the film's simultaneous release on the on-demand Peacock streaming service, NBCUniversal's in-house Netflix challenger - the best dual-release performance to date.
Opening in cinemas here on Oct 28, the follow-up to 2018's Halloween again stars Jamie Lee Curtis as protagonist Laurie Strode and Nick Castle as the monstrous Michael Myers.
LAST DUEL
However, an exclusive theatrical release was not enough to save the week's other new release, The Last Duel, Ridley Scott's lavish historical epic starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Ben Affleck and Jodie Comer, which is currently showing in cinemas here.
The drama set in 14th-century France bombed, grossing a pallid US$4.8 million despite glowing reviews.
That is a disastrous result given that the film cost north of US$100 million and a sign that older audiences remain skittish about returning to theatres when Covid-19 and its variants are still circulating. - AFP, REUTERS
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