Neither a Jordan Peele-produced horror nor a Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell romantic drama were enough to continue the September hot streak at the movies. After back-to-back weekends that had films majorly overperforming, first “The Conjuring: Last Rights” followed by the anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle,” the North American box office slowed significantly.
Overall ticket sales were down nearly 50% from last weekend, with the holdover champion “Demon Slayer” edging out the newcomer “Him” for first place, according to studio estimates Sunday. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures’ “Demon Slayer” added $17.3 million over the weekend, bringing its total to $104.7 million, which makes it the highest grossing anime film ever in North America.
The football horror “Him” opened in second place with an estimated $13.5 million in ticket sales. Universal Pictures opened “Him” in 3,168 North American theaters, where the audience was 52% male and 65% over the age of 25. Internationally, it earned $400,000.
Produced by Peele’s Monkeypaw and directed by Justin Tipping, “Him” is about a promising young quarterback (Tyriq Withers) who is invited to train with a veteran (Marlon Wayans) at an isolated compound.
“Him” scored with neither critics (it carries a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes) nor audiences, who gave the film a C- CinemaScore. In his review for The Associated Press, film writer Jake Coyle wrote that the film “was made with the potent premise of bringing the kind of dark, satirical perspective that characterizes a Monkeypaw production to our violent national pastime. But that promise gets fumbled in an allegorical chamber play that grows increasingly tedious.”
“Him” was also nearly upstaged by another horror, “The Conjuring: Last Rights,” which made an estimated $13 million in its third weekend. With a global total of $400 million, it’s now the biggest film in the Conjuring universe.
They are two of three horror movies in this weekend's top 10, including “Weapons.” According to data firm Comscore, this year that genre alone has generated $1.1 billion in domestic box office receipts, just several million short of the 2017 record driven by “It” and “Get Out.”
“Horror movies have been on a bit of a hot streak,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore's head of marketplace trends. “It’s going to be a record-breaking year.”
In addition to “Demon Slayer,” Sony had a new film this weekend as well: The original romance “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” starring Robbie and Farrell, but that fizzled with audiences, earning only $3.5 million from 3,300 locations. It also received largely negative reviews and currently has a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Audiences are selective in what they want to see,” Dergarabedian said. “Negative reviews can create really strong headwinds for original films with no brand recognition.”
In its second weekend, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” added another $6.3 million, bringing its running total to $31.6 million. The Stephen King adaptation “The Long Walk” is also estimating $6.3 million in weekend two, down only 46% from its opening. Its domestic total of $22.7 million has already exceeded its production budget of $20 million (though that sum does not account for marketing and promotion).
Ron Howard’s 1995 hit “Apollo 13” played in 200 theaters this weekend for its 30th anniversary as well. It made an estimated $600,000. The 30th anniversary re-release of “Toy Story,” now in its second weekend, added $1.4 million.
Next weekend there is excitement surrounding the new Paul Thomas Anderson film “One Battle After Another," although his biggest hit to date remains the 2007 film “There Will Be Blood,” which made just over $76 million worldwide, not accounting for inflation.
And right on its heels is a very different kind of cinema experience: AMC Theaters is hosting a release party for Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, “ The Life of a Showgirl." The 90-minute show, aptly titled “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” will play at all 540 AMC theaters in the U.S. from Oct. 3 through Oct. 5.
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle” $17.3 million
2. “Him,” $13.5 million.
3. “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” $13 million.
4. (tie) “The Long Walk,” $6.3 million.
4. (tie) “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” $6.3 million.
6. “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” $3.5 million.
7. “The Senior,” $2.8 million.
8. “Toy Story” (30th Anniversary re-release), $1.4 million.
9. “Sight & Sound Presents: NOAH - Live!” $1.4 million.
10. “Weapons,” $1.3 million.
Colin Farrell, left, and Margot Robbie attend the Sony Pictures premiere of "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey" at AMC Lincoln Square on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Jordan Peele, left, and Marlon Wayans arrive at the premiere of "Him" on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 18, 2025--
PureTech Health plc (Nasdaq: PRTC, LSE: PRTC) ("PureTech" or the "Company"), a hub-and-spoke biotherapeutics company dedicated to giving life to science and transforming innovation into value, today announces that the Board of Directors has appointed Robert Lyne as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251217152848/en/
Robert Lyne commented: “I’m honored to lead PureTech as CEO at such an important moment in its evolution. Over the past two years, I’ve seen first-hand the strength of our programs, the talent of our team, and the power of our differentiated model. I’m keen to build on this foundation, working closely with the Board to drive the next phase of execution as we advance transformative therapies for patients and deliver long-term value for our shareholders.
“Our immediate focus is on securing the funding needed to advance our newest Founded Entity, Celea Therapeutics, following the successful End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This process is progressing, and we expect to close within the first half of 2026, after which PureTech’s operational run rate will reduce significantly. In parallel, we are also actively pursuing financing in 2026 for Gallop Oncology, as the strong initial topline data continue to mature, and the program advances to the next stage of development.
“Going forward, we intend to operate with a streamlined structure and significantly reduced overhead. This will be combined with a disciplined investment posture, pursuing focused innovation initiatives that can be advanced to key inflection points with relatively modest spend to improve our return on capital. Once Celea is fully financed, we expect to evaluate the most effective means of delivering value to shareholders, including potential capital returns, as part of an integrated strategy that continues targeted and impactful innovation. In the meantime, our priority is preserving capital, maintaining flexibility, and positioning PureTech for value creation.”
Sharon Barber-Lui, Interim Chair of PureTech’s Board of Directors, said: “We are pleased to appoint Rob as PureTech’s CEO. As Interim CEO, Rob has demonstrated strong leadership, strategic clarity, and a deep understanding of the business and key stakeholders. Rob’s appointment positions the Company to execute against a clear plan to sharpen strategic and operational focus and optimize shareholder returns. The Board supports Rob’s disciplined approach to maintaining a lean operating model whilst concentrating on capital-efficient innovation to maximize shareholder value. The Board is confident that Rob is the right person to lead PureTech forward.”
Mr. Lyne has served as Interim CEO since July 2025 and joined PureTech in January 2024 as Chief Portfolio Officer. During his time as Interim CEO, Mr. Lyne has provided strong leadership for the business, overseeing progress across PureTech’s programs and advancing strategic and operational priorities. He is an experienced leader of UK-listed life science innovation and venture capital companies, having previously served as CEO of Arix Bioscience plc. Mr. Lyne brings more than a decade of experience in senior leadership roles at London-listed life science companies, with a strong track record in governance and executive team leadership. He has been involved in over 80 venture capital financings across Europe and North America as well as multiple portfolio exits and initial public offerings.
Mr. Lyne was previously a director of Arix Bioscience plc within the past five years. There are no other details to be disclosed in respect of Mr. Lyne’s appointment pursuant to LR 9.6.13R.
About PureTech Health
PureTech Health is a hub-and-spoke biotherapeutics company dedicated to giving life to science and transforming innovation into value. We do this through a proven, capital-efficient R&D model focused on opportunities with validated pharmacology and untapped potential to address significant patient needs. This strategy has produced dozens of therapeutic candidates, including three that have received U.S. FDA approval. By identifying, shaping, and de-risking these high-conviction assets, and scaling them through dedicated structures backed by external capital, we accelerate their path to patients while creating sustainable value for shareholders.
For more information, visit www.puretechhealth.com or connect with us on X (formerly Twitter) @puretechh.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that are or may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements that relate to our expectations around our therapeutic candidates and approach towards addressing major diseases, our plans to advance our programs and deliver on our milestones, our future plans, prospects, developments, and strategies. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to, those risks, uncertainties and other important factors described under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the SEC and in our other regulatory filings. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the present and future business strategies of the Company and the environment in which it will operate in the future. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as at the date of this press release. Except as required by law and regulatory requirements, we disclaim any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE UK VERSION OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU 596/2014) AS IT FORMS PART OF UK LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED
Robert Lyne, Chief Executive Officer of PureTech
