It was a weekend of sequels, surprises, and sharp contrasts at the North American box office, as horror, sci-fi, and social satire battled for audience attention. At the center of the cinematic storm was “Black Phone 2,” the much-anticipated follow-up to the 2021 supernatural thriller, which clawed its way to the top spot with a strong—if not spectacular—opening. According to The Numbers and Deadline, the film earned $10.78 million on Friday, October 17, 2025, setting it on track for a projected $24 million opening weekend by Sunday night.
Directed once again by Scott Derrickson and starring Ethan Hawke in his chilling return as the masked serial killer known as “The Grabber,” “Black Phone 2” cost $30 million to produce. Its opening weekend performance puts it neck-and-neck with the original film, which debuted with $23.6 million in 2021. That’s no small feat in a crowded autumn release schedule, but the sequel’s reception has been a mixed bag. The Hollywood Reporter called it an “effective horror sequel,” while Deadline noted that the film’s “middling Thursday night and half-decent Friday” suggested it would have to rely on word of mouth to maintain momentum.
Reviews have been divided, with some critics arguing that Derrickson’s new tricks “weren’t as frightening or empathetic as the ingredients that made the first one work.” Still, there’s no denying the draw of Hawke’s performance as The Grabber—a role that has cemented him as a modern horror icon. The movie’s supernatural edge and familiar antagonist helped power its box office debut, even as some viewers and reviewers found themselves longing for the emotional resonance of the original.
While “Black Phone 2” grabbed headlines, the rest of the box office chart painted a picture of shifting fortunes and audience tastes. In second place was “Tron: Ares,” the third installment in Disney’s long-running sci-fi franchise and a direct sequel to 2010’s “Tron: Legacy.” The film managed a $3 million haul on Friday, but its overall trajectory was far less encouraging. As reported by Deadline, “Tron: Ares” is experiencing a steep 65% drop in its second weekend, earning just $11 million and bringing its cumulative total to a little over $50 million. With a reported production budget of $170 million, the film is unlikely to hit the $100 million mark domestically—making it, as one critic bluntly put it, “kind of a bust in every way.”
Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom for the “Tron” universe. The Post remarked that “Ares” is “the first ‘Tron’ film with a discernible plot, which brings a welcome pulse of clarity and humanity to a franchise that heretofore has picked hard drives over heart.” For longtime fans, that’s a silver lining, even if the broader audience seems less convinced.
Third place belonged to “Good Fortune,” the feature directorial debut of comedian Aziz Ansari. The film, which also stars Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, and Keke Palmer, opened to $2.4 million on Friday and an estimated $6 million for the weekend. Ansari described the premise as a collision between “one guy that’s been blessed by the last 20 years, put his money in crypto and tech and has a giant mansion in LA, and then the other guy who’s been screwed by the last 20 years and is burdened with debt.” The story unfolds in Los Angeles, a city where, as Ansari put it, “those two guys could be right next to each other in the same coffee shop.”
Despite its star power and timely themes about wealth disparity, “Good Fortune” has received lukewarm reviews. Critics have called it “sweet and well-intentioned, and utterly lacking the edge that might have put it over.” For many, it’s a film better suited to streaming than the big screen. Still, the presence of Keanu Reeves in a non-action, non-“baba yaga” role has drawn curiosity, even if it hasn’t translated into blockbuster numbers.
Just behind was “Truth & Treason,” a World War II resistance drama from Angel Studios, the distributor behind “Sound of Freedom.” The film tells the true story of 17-year-old Helmuth Hübener, who was executed for opposing the Nazi regime. With over $1.15 million on Friday and a projected $2.2 million for the weekend, “Truth & Treason” is making a “bold anti-fascism statement,” according to Deadline. Its polished production and historical gravitas have resonated with a segment of moviegoers, even as it faces stiff competition from bigger-budget fare.
Fifth place went to “One Battle After Another,” which took in $1.1 million on its fourth Friday in theaters and is expected to add another $3.7 to $4 million for the weekend. The film has quietly become an awards-season contender, with total earnings surpassing $60 million. Its “resistance” narrative and staying power at the box office have made it, in the words of one critic, “the only movie in theaters now that I’m going to have to duck in and see again.”
Outside the top five, the box office featured a mix of new releases and holdovers vying for attention. “Roofman” continued to perform respectably, taking in between $3.5 and $3.7 million in its second weekend. “After the Hunt,” a drama starring Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield about academic ‘cancellation,’ cracked the top ten in limited release. Other notable entries included “Conjuring: Last Rites,” “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie,” and Sony’s faith-based “Soul on Fire.”
Meanwhile, “Downton Abbey: Grand Finale” held onto a spot in the top ten during weekdays, buoyed by its loyal retiree fanbase, but is expected to fall short of the $50 million mark as it loses screens. As for “The Smashing Machine” and the horror-comedy “Good Boy”—the latter described by one reviewer as “MUCH better than ‘Black Phone 2’”—both appear likely to drop out of the top ten as new data rolls in.
All eyes now turn to the coming weeks, as studios and distributors gauge whether word of mouth can sustain “Black Phone 2” and whether “Tron: Ares” can recover any momentum. For “Good Fortune,” the question is whether its streaming prospects will outshine its theatrical run. And for audiences, the fall movie season is shaping up to be a battleground of genres, nostalgia, and timely social commentary—proof that, even in a crowded market, there’s still room for surprises at the multiplex.
