UPDATE: 2025-06-01 10:55 EST BY BRENNAN KLEIN

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Comes In Slightly Higher Than Expected, Speak No Evil Slightly Lower

This article was originally written Saturday AM and has been updated Sunday AM with altered box office projections (in bold), a full chart, and further analysis.

Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceandSpeak No Evilare topping the domestic box office in a record-breaking weekend.Speak No Evilis a remake of the 2022 Danish thriller of the same name and the newest movie teaming Blumhouse withSplitstar James McAvoy. In its opening weekend, it competed with the second weekend of theBeetlejuice Beetlejuicebox office, which kicked off with a $111 million debut that was not only the third-best domestic opening of the year but outgrossed the entire worldwide run of the original 1988 movie within just three days.

PerVariety, as of Sunday morning,Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis projected to top the domestic box office once morein its second weekend with a 3-day gross of$51.6 million. This strong week-on-week haul is helping the second weekend of September push its total earnings past $100 million for the first time since 2019, marking a first since the COVID-19 pandemic depressed box office earnings in 2020. It is also the second-highest second weekend gross for a movie released in September afterItearned $60.1 million during its sophomore weekend in 2017.

Meanwhile,Speak No Evilis projected to take No. 2 with a debut of$11.5 million, becomingthe highest-grossing new release of the weekend. It is joined on the chart by fellow new releaseAm I Racist?. The Matt Walsh documentary debuted with $4.75 million, landing at No. 4 above the previous weekend’s No. 3 title, thepresidential biopicReagan, which has fallen to No. 5 in its third weekend with a $2.9 million haul. See the weekend’s full domestic box office Top 5 below:

1

$51.6 million

$188 million (weekend 2)

2

$11.5 million

$11.5 million (weekend 1)

3

$5.2 million

$621.5 million (weekend 8)

4

$4.75 million

$4.75 million (weekend 1)

5

$2.9 million

$23 million (weekend 3)

Although late August was dominated by a raft of holdover hits, the only one remaining on the chart this weekend is the Marvel Cinematic Universe smashDeadpool & Wolverine, which hasmaintained a spot at No. 3 with a $5.2 million gross. The sci-fi horror sequelAlien: Romulushas fallen from No. 4 to No. 6 with $2.6 million while the Blake Lively romanceIt Ends with Ushas fallen from No. 5 to No. 8 with $2.1 million.

The newDave Bautista movieThe Killer’s Game, meanwhile, never made it on the chart in the first place. Its $2.6 million debutsees it competing withRomulusfor No. 6. While its budget has not yet been reported, it seems likely to be falling quite short of that mark, as the action-comedy re-teams Bautista with hisGuardians of the Galaxyco-star Pom Klementieff and features other action notables including Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, and Scott Adkins. It may have avoided blockbuster expenses, but between the cast, the locations, and the action spectacle, it is probably a mid-budget affair.

What This Box Office Weekend Means For Speak No Evil And Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Speak No EvilIs Doing Well Despite A No. 2 Debut

It is perhaps inevitable that theBeetlejuice Beetlejuicereleasewas going to top the chart again after its record-breaking debut. It has dropped about 54% from its opening weekend, which isa commendable result for a title in the horror genre, even if the comedy legacy sequel can only be tangentially considered horror. However, even if it had dropped 60% or more, which is typical for horror, its $111 million starting point would have left it at a strong place during its second weekend, no matter what.

[Speak No Evil] is already well on its way toward earning back its production costs.

Thus, while theSpeak No Evilreleasedid not open at No. 1, this does not necessarily mean it is suffering in any way. While the movie is technically a remake, it is not attached to an IP that has remotely the same amount of nostalgic audience attachment asBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. It alsocomes with a much smaller budget of $15 millioncompared to the Tim Burton movie’s $100 million, meaning that it is already well on its way toward earning back its production costs.

Our Take On The Weekend Box Office

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice&Speak No EvilAre Kicking Off The Halloween Season

Even though no new releases topped the box office this weekend, the fact that four of the titles in the Top 5 are fewer than three weeks old shows thatthe theatrical marketplace has finally been refreshed after a long period of late summer doldrums. With upcoming releases such as the animated moviesTransformers OneandThe Wild Robotset to hit theaters before the end of September, it seems likely that the chart will continue to be populated with new titles and end the reign of the year’s summer blockbusters for good.

Additionally,Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceandSpeak No Eviltopping the chart simultaneously could also indicate that a strong Halloween season is ahead at the domestic box office. Horror and horror-tinged genre releases are scattered across the schedule through the end of October, so the genre could enter an especially fertile period where the chart is continuously buoyed by new release horror. These titles include theupcomingSmile 2,Terrifier 3,Never Let Go, and the darker comic book effortsVenom: The Last DanceandJoker: Folie à Deux.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Cast

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.

Speak No Evil

Speak No Evil is a 2024 horror-thriller film by writer-director James Watkins. A remake of the 2022 movie Speak No Evil follows a family who head to the country for a much-needed vacation - but the situation quickly deteriorates, thrusting them into a horrific nightmare.