This past weekend saw a mix of horror movies, family films, and arthouse fare making waves at the domestic box office. "Smile 2" led the pack with a strong $23 million debut, surpassing expectations and marking a successful return for director Parker Finn. The sequel, starring Naomi Scott, opened slightly higher than its predecessor and played on 3,619 screens.
In second place was the family-friendly "The Wild Robot," which earned $10.1 million in its fourth weekend, crossing the $100 million mark in North America. The well-reviewed film continues to draw audiences, with some speculating that it may have received a boost from teenagers sneaking into R-rated horror film "Terrifier 3," which added $9.3 million to its total.
Despite the success of "Smile 2" and "Terrifier 3," other films struggled at the box office. Warner Bros.' "Joker: Folie à Deux" saw a steep decline in its third weekend, earning only $2.2 million and bringing its domestic total to $56.4 million. On the other hand, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" continued to perform well, adding $5 million in its seventh weekend and reaching a total of $284 million.
One standout success of the weekend was Sean Baker's "Anora," which opened in limited release in New York and Los Angeles and earned an impressive $630,000. The film, starring Mikey Madison, received strong reviews at Cannes and is expected to be a contender during awards season.
Overall, the weekend's box office results reflect a diverse range of offerings for moviegoers, with horror, family, and arthouse films all finding success. As the holiday season approaches, audiences can look forward to a mix of big-budget blockbusters like "Venom: The Last Dance" and awards contenders like "Conclave" hitting theaters in the coming weeks.