Horror Movie Soars in Box Office Week 2

Weapons Maintains Top Spot with Strong Performance

Weapons has continued its impressive run at the domestic box office, securing the number one position for the second consecutive weekend. The horror film, directed by Zach Cregger, debuted on August 8 and outperformed fellow new release Freakier Friday, earning $43.5 million over its three-day opening weekend. By the end of its first full week in theaters, the movie had surpassed the global milestone of $100 million.

During its sophomore weekend, Weapons faced strong competition from four major new releases: the action sequel Nobody 2 starring Bob Odenkirk, Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest (his first collaboration with Denzel Washington since 2006's Inside Man), the horror remake Witchboard, and the crime thriller Americana featuring Sydney Sweeney. Despite this, Weapons is projected to earn $25 million over the three-day weekend, maintaining its top spot. This represents a drop of just 43% from its opening weekend, which is significantly less than the typical week-to-week decline seen in the horror genre.

This performance is particularly notable given that the horror genre usually experiences steep drops of 50% or more during the second weekend. In comparison, the earlier horror hit Sinners only dropped 4.8% in its sophomore frame, making Weapons’s results even more impressive.

Box Office Competition and New Releases

While Weapons remains at the top, other films have made their mark. Nobody 2 is expected to debut at number three with $9.2 million, falling behind Freakier Friday, which holds onto the number two spot with $14.5 million—a 50% drop from its opening weekend. Nobody 2 is the only new release to enter the Top 5, while previous weekend titles have experienced some shifts in rankings.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps fell 44%, and The Bad Guys 2 dropped 35%. Meanwhile, The Naked Gun slipped from number five to seven, overtaken by Superman, which maintained its position at number six. Only one title from the previous weekend fell off the chart—The Naked Gun.

In addition to these films, a new Tamil-language action movie called Coolie debuted at number ten with an estimated $2.45 million. However, Americana had a disastrous opening, debuting at number 16 with just $500,000, marking one of the worst openings for a wide release in over 1,000 theaters.

What This Means for Weapons

By securing the number one spot for the second weekend in a row, Weapons has established itself as a standout film in the 2025 box office landscape. It is the third horror film to debut at number one this year, following Sinners and Final Destination Bloodlines. More importantly, it is only the second horror movie of 2025 to hold the top position for two consecutive weekends, joining Sinners in this exclusive group.

Looking ahead, Weapons will face competition from several new releases during its third weekend, including the dark relationship comedy Splitsville, the Riz Ahmed thriller Relay, the English dub of the Chinese animated hit Ne Zha II, Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t!, and the Sophie Turner vehicle Trust. None of these films are expected to make a significant impact, giving Weapons a strong chance to maintain its dominance.

Industry Outlook and Future Releases

While Weapons has had a successful weekend, the performance of Nobody 2 suggests challenges for the rest of August. The month is dominated by smaller-scale releases, and Nobody 2, being part of an established franchise, was one of the most anticipated films of the season. Its limited success may indicate a quieter box office until the arrival of The Conjuring: Last Rites in early September. If this horror sequel performs well, it could join Weapons in continuing the genre’s strong presence at the end of summer.

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