Horror sequel ‘Black Phone 2’ dials up a No. 1 opening

The horror sequel “Black Phone 2” topped the North American box office charts this weekend with $26.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Not only did it surpass the original's $23.6 million debut, it's a much-needed win for Blumhouse after a string of disappointments this year like “M3GAN 2.0.”

Though “Black Phone 2” opened in line with expectations, moviegoing in October continues to be slow — down about 11% from last year, according to Comscore. The overall box office is still up about 4% compared with last year, but a big blockbuster hit that could spark more momentum might not arrive until late November or December.

Universal Pictures released “Black Phone 2” in 3,411 theaters in North America on a wave of good reviews. Coming four years after the original, the sequel sees the return of filmmaker Scott Derrickson, as well as stars Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames. Opening weekend audiences were 63% between the ages of 18 and 34, according to exit polls, and the biggest demographic was Hispanics, making up 39% of ticket buyers while Caucasians accounted for 35%.

With an additional $15.5 million from 71 international territories, “Black Phone 2” had a $42 million worldwide launch against a reported $30 million production budget.

“It’s a fantastic opening,” said Jim Orr, who heads Universal’s domestic distribution. “Our great partners in Scott Derrickson and Blumhouse once again took this property and crafted an unbelievably haunting, chilling story that audiences just simply couldn’t get enough of.”

The first “Black Phone” was a bit of a sleeper hit for Universal and Blumhouse in 2021 as cinemas were beginning to come back to life after COVID shutdowns. By the end of its run, it had earned more than $161 million worldwide against an $18 million budget.

Blumhouse has had a rocky 2025, with a handful of duds including “Wolf Man” and “The Woman in the Yard.” But the once impenetrable horror hitmaker could be on the upswing again with a “Five Nights at Freddy’s” sequel coming in December. The first movie earned nearly $300 million worldwide.

The horror genre in general has soared to record-breaking heights this year, with hits like “Weapons” and the multi-genre “Sinners," generating over $1.2 billion for the industry, noted Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends.

“Black Phone 2” was also the only film to really break through this weekend, despite a slew of options playing in wide release including the R-rated Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari and Keanu Reeves comedy “Good Fortune,” which opened in 2,990 locations to $6.2 million, and the expansion of the Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield drama “After the Hunt,” which made $1.6 million from 1,238 theaters. Also new in theaters is Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” although Netflix does not report box office grosses.

“Tron: Ares” fell about 67% to $11.1 million in its second weekend in theaters, which was enough to snag second place on the charts. Globally it has now earned $103 million.

“Good Fortune,” which opened in third place, had mostly positive reviews on its side, but Ansari's comedy with a side of social commentary did not drum up a lot of enthusiasm in its first weekend. With a B+ CinemaScore, though, it likely has a better chance in the coming weeks than the campus drama “After the Hunt,” which got a very poor C- score.

“This is a quintessential October for movies, meaning this is not a hotbed of box office blockbusters,” said Dergarabedian. “But the marketplace is flush with titles. This is awards season; this is where you have a lot of auteur driven films, edgier films. Collectively these don’t generate a ton of box office, but there’s the currency of goodwill created with movie fans.”

Next weekend audiences will get another batch of awards-hopefuls, including Yorgos Lanthimos’s latest Emma Stone collaboration “Bugonia” and the Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” starring “The Bear’s” Jeremy Allen White.

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. “Black Phone 2,” $26.5 million.

2. “Tron: Ares,” $11.1 million.

3. “Good Fortune,” $6.2 million.

4. “One Battle After Another,” $4 million.

5. “Roofman,” $3.7 million.

6. “Truth & Treason,” $2.7 million.

7. “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” $1.7 million.

8. “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” $1.6 million.

9. “After the Hunt,” $1.6 million.

10. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” $1.3 million.

Aziz Ansari attends the special screening of "Good Fortune" at AMC Lincoln Square on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Mason Thames arrives at a special screening of "Black Phone 2" on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Ethan Hawke arrives at a special screening of "Black Phone 2" on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears say they're mulling a move to Northwest Indiana with their efforts to secure public funding they say they need to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois stalled.

Team president Kevin Warren insisted Wednesday in an open letter to fans that the team still prefers to build a new home on a tract of land it owns in suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois. He also said the Bears are not using the threat to cross state lines as leverage.

“This is not about leverage," Warren said. "We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day.”

Warren did not say where in Northwest Indiana the Bears would look to move.

The letter comes just days before Chicago hosts rival Green Bay in a game with heavy playoff implications. The Bears (10-4) hold a slim lead over the Packers (9-4-1) in the NFC North. In their first season under coach Ben Johnson, they are trying to secure their first postseason appearance since 2020.

“Suggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's spokesman Matt Hill said in a statement. "The Governor’s a Bears fan who has always wanted them to stay in Chicago. He has also said that ultimately they are a private business.”

The Bears’ focus for a new home has fluctuated between a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb. They have said they plan to pay for the stadium construction on the site of a former racetrack about 30 miles northwest of their longtime home at Soldier Field, though they would need assistance to complete the project.

“The Bears have called Chicago home for more than a century,” Warren said. “One certainty is that our commitment to this city will not change. We will continue to provide unwavering support to the community. We need to secure a world-class venue for our passionate fanbase and honor the energy you bring every week.”

According to a team consultant report released in September, they are seeking $855 million in public funding for infrastructure in order to build a stadium in Arlington Heights that could host Final Fours and Super Bowls. The Bears were also hoping the Illinois legislature would pass a bill in October that would freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium, allowing them to begin construction this year. But that didn't happen.

“For a project of this scale, uncertainty has significant consequences,” Warren said. “Stable timelines are critical, as are predictable processes and elected leaders, who share a sense of urgency and appreciation for public partnership that projects with this level of impact require. We have not received that sense of urgency or appreciation to date. We have been told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois.”

In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site 30 miles from Soldier Field. Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Warren was hired as president two years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.

Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington Heights, citing “significant progress” with local leaders.

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Kevin Warren, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Bears, talks on the field before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)