Moviegoing audiences appear to be in the Halloween spirit this weekend as two holiday-themed debuts have cracked the top three in Friday’s box office. Perhaps surprisingly,Tyler Perry’s horror-comedyBoo! A Madea Halloweentakes the top spot while the more traditional scare-festOuija: Origin of Evillanded at number three. Smack in the middle of those two fright-filled features was the action-packed sequelJack Reacher: Never Go Back, fronted byTom Cruise. The trio earnedCinemascoresof A, B+, and C, respectively.
Boo! A Madea Halloweenis aiming for a $25 million take this weekend whileJack Reacherreaches for $23 million, but those films could swap spots by the end of the frame. Outside of the top three isGavin O’Connor’sThe Accountant, starringBen Affleck, which drops to the fourth spot in its second weekend, whileThe Girl on the Trainrides to the fifth spot in its third weekend.
Another new debut,Greg Mottola’s action-comedyKeeping Up with the Joneses, just missed the top five despite the gathered star power ofGal Gadot,Jon Hamm,Isla Fisher, andZach Galifianakis. The film’s B- Cinemascore suggests it played well with audiences, but it’s on track for only a mid-$5 million to $6 million weekend.
Elsewhere,Barry Jenkins' buzzy movieMoonlightearned $131,464 in only four theaters during its debut Friday. This puts the A24 film on track for ~$450,000 and a per-theater-average of $112,500, which would bea record-setting performance. Be sure to check outBrian Formo’sreview of the film here, and keep an eye and ear out for more as it continues its festival circuit.
Take a look at the full Top 10 from Friday’s Box Office below (viaBox Office Mojo):
Boo! A Madea Halloween
$9,400,000
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
$8,900,000
Ouija: Origin of Evil
$5,460,000
The Accountant
$4,400,000
The Girl on the Train
$2,350,000
Keeping Up with the Joneses
$2,000,000
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
$1,615,000
Kevin Hart: What Now?
$1,330,000
Deepwater Horizon
$1,110,000
$1,020,000
