Hollywood’s cash registers saw the best October weekend ever, as “Venom” and “A Star Is Born” powered a box office sales total of $174.5 million in weekend domestic sales.
“Venom” took in an estimated $80 million, and the fourth remake of “A Star Is Born” was on track for $41.3 million in sales, a one-two punch that drove the industry to a record-setting month, said movie analyst Paul Dergarabedian at comScore.
” `Venom’ obliterates all expectations, posting the biggest debut for an October release with an amazing $80 million,” Dergarabedian gushed. The film features one of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and intense characters, he said, and took in $205.2 million globally, a new record for the month.
“A Star Is Born” also exceeded projections, with a “brilliant, staggeringly moving and indelible performance” by Lady Gaga, Dergarabedian said.
The animated feature “Small Foot” was third, with $14.9 million in weekend sales and $42.8 million in the cash register over 10 days, according to studio estimates gathered by comScore.
“Night School” was fourth, at $12.3 million this weekend and $46.8 million over 10 days. And “House With A Clock On Its Walls” was fifth, at $7.3 million this weekend and $55 million over its run of nearly three weeks.
Rounding out the 10 most-popular films in the United States and Canada, according to studio estimates gathered by comScore, were “A Simple Favor” ($3.4 million), “The Nun” ($2.6 million), “Hell Fest” ($2 million), “Crazy Rich Asians” (2 million) and a New York Metropolitan Opera staging of “Aida” ($1.2 million).