Matt Damon and The Martian had another good weekend at the Stateside box office this weekend, with the sci-fi drama staying top and adding $11.4. million to its already impressive haul, according to studio estimates.
Halloween falling on a weekend can always be a bit of a mixed bag for distributors looking for treats in terms of ticket sales – with people headed out in costume to score candy, booze or both, cinema admissions can take a hit. And indeed nothing new, be it scary or otherwise, made a real impact at the box office thanks to All Hallow’s Eve arriving Saturday. In fact, the top four stayed almost completely the same. The Martian has now made more than $182 million in the US and has rocketed past $405 million worldwide, as Goosebumps dug its family comedy claws into second, taking home $10.2 million, and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge Of Spies made $8 million in third.
Fourth place went to Hotel Transylvania 2, with the horror ‘toon possibly seeing a slight boost from the spookiest of holidays, jumping back up from fifth with $5.8 million. Replacing it in that slot was Bradley Cooper’s new chef pic Burnt, but the film was left with a sour taste in its mouth and no Michelin stars, as it could only launch to $5 million.
The Last Witch Hunter sank a couple of places to sixth, earning $4.7 million, while Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, which had probably hoped to see a rise thanks to Halloween, actually fell to seventh and $3.4 million. The lustre is most certainly off that particular franchise.
There was even worse news for Sandra Bullock’s new dramedy Our Brand Is Crisis, as the movie about political wrangling landed with a distinct thud in the polls, arriving eighth on $3.4 million. People really seemed to vote with their wallets on that one, and the overriding feeling was, “nope!” Ninth was Crimson Peak, taking in $3.1 million, while Steve Jobs fell a couple of places to 10th and $2.5 million. There was one other new arrival this weekend, clearly hoping its blend of horror and comedy would appeal: Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse, which discovered that it couldn’t scare up much interest and was left craving more than brains as it debuted (in a slightly more limited, 1,509 screen release) to a damp $1.7 million.
To see a man dressed as an astronaut leap over the competition in the full chart listings, head to Box Office Mojo.