Original Horror Movies Dominate Box Office: Warner Bros.’ ‘Weapons’ Tops Chart with $42.5 Million, Signaling a Shift in Hollywood Trends

Horror movies are resonating with American audiences, as demonstrated by the success of two original productions at the box office.

Over the weekend, Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” claimed the top spot, earning $42.5 million domestically. This is the second time this year that an original horror film has topped the chart, following Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” which made $45.6 million in its debut weekend in April.

Warner Bros. Pictures distributed both films, demonstrating a knack for producing blockbuster horror flicks, according to Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore.

The domestic gross of “Weapons” surpasses Cregger’s 2022 hit “Barbarian,” which made $40.8 million domestically. Critics lauded “Weapons” with a 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while “Sinners” received a stellar 97%.

Dergarabedian noted that well-reviewed horror films like “Weapons” can achieve significant box office success. He added that Disney’s comedy sequel “Freakier Friday,” which debuted with $29 million over the weekend, and Warner Bros.’ horror offering created a diverse lineup for moviegoers.

“Weapons” and “Freakier Friday” contributed to an overall box office growth of 7.6% compared to last year, generating $5.6 billion so far this year, according to Comscore data.

Disney and Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” in its third week in theaters, saw earnings drop by 60%, grossing $15.5 million and securing the No. 3 spot. The film has amassed a total of $230.4 million domestically.

Two new releases took the fourth and fifth spots last weekend. “Bad Guys 2,” an animated family film, made $10.4 million, while the fourth installment of the “Naked Gun” franchise earned $8.37 million.

Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, remarked that the summer season is winding down, with Disney’s anticipated “biggest hitters,” such as “Zootopia 2” on November 26 and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” opening December 19, on the horizon.