Anime once again proved its growing might at the North American box office as Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc debuted at No. 1 with an impressive $17.25 million opening weekend across 3,003 theatres, according to studio estimates. Sony Pictures’ Crunchyroll scored another win following September’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, which stunned with a $70 million debut.
While Chainsaw Man didn’t quite match those record levels, it comfortably outpaced new releases from Paramount and 20th Century Studios — and even dethroned last week’s horror hit Black Phone 2. Overall domestic revenues, however, reflected a slower marketplace, down roughly 22% from the same frame in 2024, when Venom: The Last Dance electrified audiences with a $51 million launch.
Anime Power Takes Over
The Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc film, adapted from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s wildly popular manga and anime series, follows the explosive aftermath of its television arc and continues to draw a fervent young fanbase. Playing in both subtitled and dubbed versions — and boosted by IMAX and premium large formats — the film saw nearly 75% of its audience comprised of males, with half under 25.
Audiences awarded the movie a glowing “A” CinemaScore, the strongest grade among the top five titles this weekend. Analysts say the result highlights anime’s emergence as a global box-office driver. “This opening follows a big success in Asia. But it’s not just Asia. Anime is doing well everywhere now,” noted David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
Globally, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc has already crossed $108 million, confirming the appetite for Japanese animation far beyond its core markets. As with many anime releases, industry trackers expect a front-loaded pattern, yet its cultural reach is undeniable — turning what was once niche entertainment into a recurring theatrical event.
Black Phone 2 Holds Its Ground
Universal and Blumhouse’s Black Phone 2 scared up another $13 million in its sophomore outing, dropping 52% from its debut but maintaining solid traction ahead of Halloween. The film’s domestic total has climbed to $49 million, with a global cume of $80.4 million.
The sequel to Scott Derrickson’s 2022 supernatural thriller, Black Phone 2 represents a much-needed rebound for Blumhouse after a string of underperforming releases earlier this year. With its modest production cost and seasonally timed release, the movie continues to demonstrate horror’s resilience as one of cinema’s most dependable genres.
Regretting You Surprises with a Strong Third Place
Paramount’s Regretting You, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, landed softly but positively in third place with $12.85 million from 3,393 venues. The mother-daughter drama — starring Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace — attracted 80% female audiences and earned a solid “B” CinemaScore, suggesting potential for steady midweek play.
Produced for a modest $30 million, the film added another $10 million internationally, bringing its worldwide debut to $22.85 million. Following the breakout success of It Ends With Us ($344 million worldwide), Hoover’s growing cinematic footprint is positioning her as one of the few contemporary authors consistently drawing readers into theatres.
Springsteen Biopic Misses the Beat
In fourth place, 20th Century Studios’ Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere opened below expectations with $9.1 million domestically and $16.1 million worldwide. The $55 million musical biopic, directed by Scott Cooper and starring The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen, earned a “B+” CinemaScore and a 61% Rotten Tomatoes average.
Unlike recent chart-topping musician portraits such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, Cooper’s film opts for a quieter study of Springsteen’s creative process while crafting his 1982 masterpiece Nebraska. Critics praised White’s introspective performance, but box-office turnout reflected limited mainstream curiosity.
Analyst David A. Gross noted that while music biopics often benefit from hit-driven nostalgia, Deliver Me From Nowhere “is a smaller story about the artist’s struggle for his unique voice,” lacking the flamboyance or controversy that fueled past successes. Comparatively, A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan film starring Timothée Chalamet, opened stronger last year and eventually surpassed $75 million domestically.
Tron: Ares and Other Holdovers
Disney’s Tron: Ares rounded out the top five with $4.9 million from 2,940 theatres, falling 56% in its third frame. Despite its spectacular visuals and $180 million production cost, the sci-fi sequel has collected $63 million domestically and $123 million globally — far below expectations for a tentpole of its scale.
Further down the chart, Lionsgate’s comedy Good Fortune grossed $3.1 million in its second weekend, lifting its total to nearly $11.8 million. Neon’s paranormal thriller Shelby Oaks debuted at No. 7 with $2.35 million from 1,823 locations, while Warner Bros.’ One Battle After Another and Paramount’s Roofman rounded out the top ten with $2.33 million and $2 million, respectively.
Bugonia Shines in Limited Release
On the specialty front, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone reunited for Bugonia, which launched in 17 locations with a stellar $40,588 per-theatre average — totaling $690,000. Focus Features will expand the offbeat sci-fi satire nationwide next weekend. The film’s early success reinforces the enduring strength of arthouse fare in major markets like New York and Los Angeles.
A Quiet October, Hopeful Eyes on the Holidays
Despite a diverse lineup, this frame’s total box-office revenue fell 22% below last year, according to Comscore. Year-to-date earnings remain 4% higher than 2024, but overall activity is still around 20% beneath pre-pandemic levels.
“October has fallen short of last year’s comparable timeframe,” said Comscore’s senior analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Patience will be a virtue as the industry awaits the holiday season.”
Studios are now banking on upcoming titles — Universal’s Wicked: For Good (Nov 21), Disney’s Zootopia 2 (Nov 26), and James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash (Dec 19) — to inject much-needed momentum into the winter corridor.
The final weekend of October underscores an increasingly eclectic theatrical landscape. Chainsaw Man demonstrates anime’s unstoppable ascent as a global box-office force, Black Phone 2 cements horror’s reliability, and Regretting You shows that book-to-film dramas still have commercial promise. Meanwhile, Springsteen and Tron highlight the challenges facing high-budget and music-driven projects in a crowded content era.
As Hollywood eyes Thanksgiving and beyond, audiences continue to send a clear message: fresh voices and fan-driven franchises — whether animated, horror, or literary — are now the engines keeping the box office alive.
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