Universal and Blumhouse’s “Halloween” scared up a whopping $7.7 million at the Thursday box office, on its way to a $60 million opening weekend.
To compare, New Line Cinema’s “The Nun” earned $5.4 million in previews before it grossed $53.8 million its opening weekend. Paramount’s “A Quiet Place” took in $4.3 million at the Thursday box office before it rounded out the weekend with a $50 million opening. New Line’s “It,” which broke several records in the process, grossed $13.5 million in previews before opening to $123 million. Universal is predicting $50 million for “Halloween,” while independent trackers are projecting as high as $63 million.
Taking place 40 years after the original, “Halloween” shows Michael Myers as he escapes from the mental institution he has been locked up in for decades. He returns to Haddonfield, Illinois to find the one who got away. That one, of course, is Laurie, now an estranged grandmother who is still traumatized by that infamous Halloween night, and has prepared for the opportunity to finish Michael off for good.
John Carpenter returns as executive producer and composer for the new film. David Gordon Green directed and co-wrote with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley. Jamie Lee Curtis stars with Nick Castle, who is reprising his role as Michael Myers. Judy Greer, Andi Matichak and Will Patton also star.
“Halloween” has received stellar reviews — on Rotten Tomatoes, the slasher movie has received a “fresh” score of 81 percent.
Also expanding wide this weekend is Fox’s “The Hate U Give,” which has been in limited release for the past two weekends with a total of $2.4 million grossed. Trackers are projecting a $7-9 million wide opening for the social justice film, which stars Amandla Stenberg as a black student at a predominantly white prep school who is inspired to become an activist after one of her friends is killed by a white police officer.
“The Hate U Give” is also rated “fresh” with 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Robert Redford’s “The Old Man & The Gun,” as well as Melissa McCarthy’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Jonah Hill’s “Mid90s” and Hilary Swank’s “What They Had” are opening this weekend in limited release.