Black Phone 2 Rings in Blockbuster Success, Tron: Ares Stumbles

As of October 19th, 2025, the horror genre has seen a mixed performance during the Halloween season. While some high-profile releases like Ryan Coogler's Sinners and Zach Cregger's Weapons were blockbuster successes earlier in the year, the only major scary film in recent weeks has been Michael Chaves' The Conjuring: Last Rites.

However, the arrival of Scott Derrickson's Black Phone 2 has provided a much-needed boost to the horror landscape. The sequel outperformed its predecessor, earning $26.5 million in its opening weekend - an improvement over the $23.6 million debut of the original Black Phone in 2022. This suggests the sequel has managed to grow the audience for the series.

Black Phone 2's success comes as it faced competition from Joachim Rønning's Tron: Ares and Aziz Ansari's comedy Good Fortune. Unfortunately, Tron: Ares has struggled, plummeting 66% in its second weekend after a disappointing $33.2 million debut. With a reported $180 million budget, the sci-fi sequel seems unlikely to match the $400 million global haul of 2010's Tron: Legacy.

The box office performance of Black Phone 2 is a much-needed win for Blumhouse, a studio known for keeping budgets low but has faced challenges with its 2025 slate. Titles like Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man and Jaume Collet-Serra's The Woman In The Yard have underperformed, but the horror sequel's success could help right the ship.

As Halloween approaches, it will be interesting to see if Black Phone 2 can maintain its momentum in the weeks ahead. With the holiday just around the corner, the film may receive an additional box office boost.