“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” Chills the Competition, While “Immaculate” and “Late Night With the Devil” Stir Up the Box Office

It was a great weekend at the box office, with “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” leading the pack, amassing an impressive $45.2 million in its debut across North American theaters. Amidst its triumph, the releases of “Immaculate”, starring Sydney Sweeney, and the innovative “Late Night With the Devil” proved a great weekend for horror fans.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” emerged as the frontrunner, eclipsing its projection with a domestic haul of $45.2 million from 4,345 venues, slightly outperforming its predecessor “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”. Globally, the film garnered $61 million, indicating a strong start, though it faces the challenge of recouping a substantial $100 million production budget. The mixed reception, mirrored by a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score and a “B+” CinemaScore, highlights the film’s broad appeal yet suggests a division among audiences and critics alike.

“Immaculate” marked its entry into the horror genre with an opening of $5.3 million, showcasing the allure of Sydney Sweeney’s burgeoning fame. While the film’s initial box office performance was modest, as indicated by its “C+” CinemaScore, this does not detract from the potential impact of its thematic elements. In the realm of horror, it’s often the uniqueness of the concept that captivates the audience, rather than the prominence of the cast.

Notably, online interest in “Immaculate” has seen a significant uptick, hinting at a growing curiosity that may lead to an upward trend in its box office journey. This increasing digital engagement suggests that despite a lukewarm start, “Immaculate” is beginning to resonate with viewers, potentially broadening its appeal through word-of-mouth and social media discussions.

Conversely, ‘Late Night With the Devil’ proved to be a dark horse, capturing $2.8 million and setting a new benchmark for IFC Films. The success of this low-budget thriller underscores the potential for high-quality, auteur-driven films within the horror genre, even in a competitive market. In a spooky twist, Variety reports, ‘“Late Night With the Devil” took sixth place and summoned $2.8 million from 1,034 venues, including (and you can’t make this up) $666,666 on Sunday.’

Although Variety’s reporting was released on Sunday morning, it’s important to note that weekend box office figures are often based on projections and early data, which can include advanced ticket sales and estimates for Sunday’s performance, explaining how these numbers can be reported early. However, the number seems a little too exact to be just a coincidence, in my opinion. Could this be another marketing idea to drum up buzz?

Meanwhile, “Dune: Part Two” continued to perform strongly, securing the No. 2 position at the box office with earnings of $17.6 million across 3,437 locations, experiencing a modest 37% decline from its previous weekend’s performance. Now in its third week, the sci-fi spectacle has amassed a domestic total of $233 million and a worldwide gross of $574 million.