This year's October box office was the lowest in 28 years – and Halloween was the worst weekend of the year

The past month was the worst at the box office for 28 years, with the lowest takings at the multiplex since October 1997 (excluding 2020, when the pandemic wreaked havoc on Hollywood).

Totals clocked in at $425 million for October 2025, with only $49 million being earned over this year's Halloween weekend – the lowest takings of the whole year. 28 years ago, slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Devil's Advocate, starring Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves, and psychological thriller Kiss the Girls brought in $385 million in October 1997.

It's not been a whole month of flops: new anime film Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc was a big hit, topping the US box office when it was released in late October and beating out other new releases like Shelby Oaks and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. However, it wasn't big enough to compensate for the other losses in October. For example, sports biopic The Smashing Machine debuted to record career-low for its star Dwayne Johnson, while sci-fi threequel Tron: Ares is set to lose Disney over $130 million.

"The major releases this month failed to deliver. Simple as that," box office analyst Jeff Bock told Variety. "Apart from the moderately successful Black Phone 2, there just weren’t enough horror films to entice moviegoers. That should be a no-brainer."

Indeed, horror fans only have Black Phone 2 and Shelby Oaks to choose from at the moment, while other upcoming horror movies like Five Nights at Freddy's 2 and Scream 7 are waiting for winter release dates.

For more on what to watch this year, check out our guide to the biggest movie release dates still to come in 2025 and beyond.