Box Office: ‘Halloween Ends’ Earns $5.4 Million in Previews

“Halloween Ends” is just beginning — the final installment in the long-lived horror franchise picked up $5.4 million at the box office in Thursday night previews. From Universal, Blumhouse and Miramax, it opened in 3,200 theaters and will expand to 3,901 locations on Friday, in addition to launching on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.

The film should hack and slash its way to $50 million to $55 million in its opening weekend, according to projections, even with a same-day release on Peacock. Last year’s “Halloween Kills” opened to $49 million at the box office and had the same Peacock release strategy, so an even bigger launch would be bloody good for the Universal film. “Halloween Kills” had a $4.9 million Thursday opening. With a $20 million price tag to produce, it’ll be a killing at the box office and the first movie to hit a $50 million launch since this summer’s “Thor: Love and Thunder.” The 2018 “Halloween” will still stand as the franchise’s high-water mark with a $77 million opening.

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Jamie Lee Curtis’ PTSD-riddled survivor Laurie Strode faces off against psycho killer Michael Myers once again for the 13th entry in the franchise, and “Halloween Ends” promises to be the very last showdown between the two foes — at least, until another reboot comes knocking at the door. The “Halloween” timeline is as full of holes as one of Michael’s victims, but the latest movie caps off a trilogy of modern-day sequels that began with 2018’s “Halloween” and its 2021 sequel “Halloween Kills.” The three movies follow the events of John Carpenter’s original 1978 horror, which introduced audiences to Curtis in her film debut and the soon-to-be slasher icon Michael Myers. There have been a handful of other “Halloween” sequels and two rebooted films directed by Rob Zombie, but the new trilogy retcons those and catches up with Laurie and her family 40 years later.

Director David Gordon Green’s “Halloween Ends” picks up four years after “Halloween Kills,” with Laurie living with her granddaughter (Andi Matichack), working on a memoir and trying to enjoy a normal life. A young man named Corey (Rohan Campbell) is then accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, which triggers a new wave of violence that forces Laurie to face Michael one last time.

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