It may not be Halloween yet, but horror fans got a chance to warm up for the big holiday over the weekend with the Friday the 13th release of Happy Death Day, the new Groundhog Day-esque murder mystery from Blumhouse. Although it doesn't feature the hockey mask killer of Camp Crystal Lake, many viewers still found Happy Death Day to be an ideal way to celebrate Jason's big day, as the horror film stabbed into the top spot at the box office over the weekend.
Box Office Mojo reports that Happy Death Day brought in an estimated $26.5 million in its opening weekend in the US, with an additional estimated $5 million raked in around the globe.
With two weeks still remaining before Halloween, Happy Death Day is expected to enjoy continued success on the big screen, with Box Office Mojo believing that a $60 million domestic haul could be possible for the new horror film from director Christopher Landon.
Taking the number two spot in the box office is Warner Bros.' Blade Runner 2049. Despite being very well-received critically, the sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi film only brought in an estimated $15.1 million in its second weekend in theaters, bringing its total domestic sum to about $60 million.
Also still lurking in the shadows at cinemas with a red balloon in hand is New Line Cinema's IT, which took the fourth spot in the box office with an estimated $6 million in the US and a little over $10 million internationally, raising its domestic total to just below $315 million and bringing its global haul to more than $630 million.
We're very excited to see horror maintaining a strong presence at the box office in the month of October, and we'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers updated as more box office numbers come in. Did you go to the movies this past weekend? Let us know in the comments section below!
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In case you missed it, check here to read our previous coverage of Happy Death Day.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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