[Source: AP]

The horror sequel “Black Phone 2” topped the North American box office charts this weekend with $26.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Not only did it surpass the original’s $23.6 million debut, it’s a much-needed win for Blumhouse after a string of disappointments this year like “M3GAN 2.0.”

Though “Black Phone 2” opened in line with expectations, moviegoing in October continues to be slow — down about 11% from last year, according to Comscore.

The overall box office is still up about 4% compared with last year, but a big blockbuster hit that could spark more momentum might not arrive until late November or December.

Universal Pictures released “Black Phone 2” in 3,411 theaters in North America on a wave of good reviews. Coming four years after the original, the sequel sees the return of filmmaker Scott Derrickson, as well as stars Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames. Opening weekend audiences were 63% between the ages of 18 and 34, according to exit polls, and the biggest demographic was Hispanics, making up 39% of ticket buyers while Caucasians accounted for 35%.

With an additional $15.5 million from 71 international territories, “Black Phone 2” had a $42 million worldwide launch against a reported $30 million production budget.

“It’s a fantastic opening,” said Jim Orr, who heads Universal’s domestic distribution. “Our great partners in Scott Derrickson and Blumhouse once again took this property and crafted an unbelievably haunting, chilling story that audiences just simply couldn’t get enough of.”

The first “Black Phone” was a bit of a sleeper hit for Universal and Blumhouse in 2021 as cinemas were beginning to come back to life after COVID shutdowns. By the end of its run, it had earned more than $161 million worldwide against an $18 million budget.

Blumhouse has had a rocky 2025, with a handful of duds including “Wolf Man” and “The Woman in the Yard.” But the once impenetrable horror hitmaker could be on the upswing again with a “Five Nights at Freddy’s” sequel coming in December.

The first movie earned nearly $300 million worldwide.

Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.