"Dark Shadows" scared up a bloodless $550,000 in midnight showings, Warner Bros. said Friday.
The studio did not disclose the number of late night screenings for the horror comedy.
The Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaboration is battling middling reviews and a global box office phenomenon in "The Avengers," as it tries to attract audiences.
Also read: Box Office Preview: 'Dark Shadows' Won't Draw Blood from 'The Avengers'
The adaptation of the campy 1970s soap opera is budgeted at $100 million. Now that its special witching hour showings are wrapped up, "Dark Shadows" will expand to roughly 3,700 U.S. screens where it is projected to gross between $30 to $35 million.
That won't be enough to frighten off "The Avengers." In its second weekend of release the Marvel superhero film is expected to bring in a massive $85 million to $110 million.
"Dark Shadows" will also open this weekend on 10,000 screens in 42 foreign territories, where Depp's star power is expected to goose ticket sales.