Universal overall may hold #1 for the foreseeable future. With the parent company releasing “Freaky” and “Croods: New Age” the next two weekends. This studio has been the most aggressive in pushing an early Premium VOD modeL and sold all four of these titles to theaters witht he understanding that they will be available within a month for home viewing. That’s what happens when no other studio drops a wide release film in any week. If theaters have any chance of staying open, they can’t rely on library product. Acquiescence abounds as a new model settles in.

Perhaps with the need for diversion, as well as the lack of competition from Halloween activities, grosses increased this weekend. Initial estimates put this weekend’s Top Ten at around $10.7 million. That’s up about $2 million from last weekend. Overall totals look to be around $12.5 million, from just under $11 million last week. Related ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Continues Surge, Most Other New Titles Swoon as Holiday Nears End ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Could Reach $600 Million Domestic, $2 Billion Worldwide Related Growing Number of Contenders Makes 2023 Best International Feature Race Less Predictable 51 Directors’ Favorite Horror Movies: Bong Joon Ho, Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, and More
Most of that comes from “Let Him Go,” which outdid “Come Play” by about $1 million in its opening. At $4.1 million, it places with “Honest Thief” as the best initial gross since “Tenet.” Blumhouse’s “Freaky” next week, and a major DreamWorks animation title like “Croods,” will tell us more about the current potential. In holdovers, three releases held very well. At 43 percent, “Come Play” had less of a drop that a horror film might see normally, particularly post-Halloween. 101 Studios The #3 title, “The War with Grandpa” actually rose 19 percent. “Honest Thief” fell only 18 percent. And “Tenet” decreased by only 2 percent. A notable difference this week is the decline of library titles. Though more holiday tie-ins are likely ahead, they likely won’t have the same appeal. Disney, very aggressive with these, put out “Toy Story” in over 2,000 theaters. It placed #6, behind the five first-run titles and grossed only $240 per theater. Even with some of these at kids’ prices, that is around 40 people for a film playing most or all shows all weekend. Some patrons had the equivalent of private showings for under $20. Also new this week, though limited, is “True to the Game 2.” This sequel to the 2017 thriller starring Vivica A. Fox played 247 theaters, ranking #8 with a rare over-$1,000-per-theater gross. It was one of four films that made it into the top 10 with a gross under $300,000. Theaters remain on tenterhooks as they await word on whether “Wonder Woman 1984” will be released December 25. No news is good news.   The Top 10

  1. Let Him Go (Focus) NEW

$4,100,000 in 2,454 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $1,670; Cumulative: $4,100,000 2. Come Play (Focus) Week 2; Last weekend #1 $1,711,000 (-43%) in 2,213 theaters (+30); PTA: $773; Cumulative: $5,642,000 3. The War with Grandpa (101) Week 6; Last weekend #3 $1,513,000 (+19%) in 2,348 theaters (-17); PTA: $644; Cumulative: $1,513,000 4. Honest Thief (Open Road) Week 6; Last weekend #2 $1,125,000 (-18%) in 2,213 theaters (-147); PTA: $508; Cumulative: $11,162,000 5. Tenet (Warner Bros.) Week 10; Last weekend #4 $905,000 (-2%) in 1,412 theaters (-189); PTA: $641; Cumulative: $55,100,000 6. Toy Story (Disney) REISSUE $505,000 in 2,102 theaters; PTA: $240; Cumulative: $(adj.): $223,500,000 7. The Empty Man (Disney) Week 4; Last weekend #5 $277,000 (-52%) in 1,243 theaters (-808); PTA: $; Cumulative: $2,724,000 8. True to the Game 2 (Imani) NEW $275,000 in 247 theaters; PTA: $1,113; Cumulative: $275,000 9. Spell (Paramount) Week 2; Last weekend #10; also available on Video on Demand $150,000 (-27%) in 368 theaters (-1); PTA: $408; Cumulative: $405,000 10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Warner Bros.) REISSUE $(est.) 145,000 in 276 theaters; PTA: $525; Cumulative: $(adj.) $293,000,000   Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.