Everything old is new again — and it’s boosting October’s box office oomph.
Brand name sequels & reboots are working well as audiences emerge from the pandemic retreat and escape to cinemas. The more recognizable a title is, the more likely it will spark people’s awareness, without which tickets aren’t sold.
October kicked off with Sony/Marvel’s $90M launch of VENOM 2: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, the sequel to 2018’s VENOM (also starring Tom Hardy), which did $856.1M globally. Audiences also know Venom (played by Topher Grace) from 2007’s SPIDER-MAN 3, which grossed $895M worldwide.
MGM/Universal/Eon’s NO TIME TO DIE just opened #1 to a strong $56M this weekend. It’s episode #25 in the Bond franchise going back to 1962’s DR. NO.
Universal/Miramax/Blumhouse’s HALLOWEEN KILLS opens 10/15 and is tracking huge, prompting projections for a $40-50M launch. It’s the latest episode in the series that began in 1978 with John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN.
WB/Legendary’s DUNE (pictured), arriving 10/22, is director Denis Villeneuve’s take on Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 sci-fi novel. Moviegoers also know DUNE from DVD & cable TV showings of David Lynch’s 1984 film.