Yikes. Halloween is still a month away but it’s downrightspookyhow dead this weekend is shaping up to be. Appropriately enough, horror-for-kids flickThe House With a Clock In Its Wallseasily won Friday night, taking in $7.8 million on its way to a projected $25 million opening weekend. Eli Roth’s first PG offering—which stars Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, and Owen Vaccaro—out-pacedA Simple Favorin its second weekend ($3.3 million) andThe Nunin its third ($2.95 million).
Meanwhile, a trio of newcomers got off to equally less-than-spectacular debuts.Life Itself—the saccharine look at life and love fromThis Is UscreatorDan Fogelman—stumbled immediately out of the starting gate, coming in seventh place on Friday with its $760,000 take. The film has been taking an absolute beating from all sides for days now, a situation not exactly soothed byFogelman himself blaming"primarily white male critics who don’t like anything that has any emotion.” (I hereby invite Dan Fogelman to watch me openly weep while watchingEighth Gradefor the 16th time.) Our own Matt Golberg bluntlycalled the film"a movie about life that will make you pray for death."
Michael Moore’s latest documentary,Fahrenheit 11/9, debuted to similarly cold numbers, taking in just over $1 million and landing in seventh place. It’s currently tracking toward the $3 million mark, about $20 million less than Moore’s record-breaking opening for 2004’sFahrenheit9/11.
Finally,Sam Levinson’s bloody social satireAssassination Nationis all but non-existent in the standings after earning less than $500,000 on Friday night. The film—wnich starsOdessa Young,Suki Waterhouse, andMaude Apatow—sold to partners Neon and the Russo Brothers for $10 million back when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Take a look at Friday’s numbers below and check back tomorrow for full weekend estimates. (Numbers viaBox Office Mojo)
The House With a Clock in Its Walls
$7,823,000
A Simple Favor
$3,300,000
$25,462,414
$2,955,000
$93,600,307
The Predator
$2,450,000
$34,185,122
Crazy Rich Asians
$1,850,000
$154,774,483
