Halloween might still be a few weeks away, but it looks like audiences are already in the mood for horror.
Summit’s spooky flick, Sinister, topped the box office on Friday with an estimated $7.5 million, effectively knocking down last weekend’s top performer, Taken 2. The R-rated film, which stars Ethan Hawke, is expected to garner about $19 million this weekend.
Don’t count out Taken 2 just yet though. The Liam Neeson abduction sequel, which came in a close second on Friday with an estimated $7 million, will likely take back the top spot at the box office by the end of the weekend. The film is on track to earn close to $24 million.
Meanwhile, Affleck’s critically-acclaimed political thriller Argo debuted in third place with $5.9 million. The R-rated Warner Bros. film — which is already attracting Oscar buzz — is expected to draw about $20 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period.
Kid-friendly Hotel Transylvania attracted a decent $4.2 million on Friday, while Kevin James’ Here Comes the Boom pulled $3.6 million. Transylvania is on track to close out the weekend with about $18 million, while James’ comedy is expected to earn somewhere between $11-12 million.
Opening in ninth place, after Pitch Perfect, Looper and Frankenweenie, was Colin Farrell’s Seven Psychopaths. The CBS film, raked in close to $1.4 million across 1480 theaters and is slated to expand to more screens on Oct. 26.
1. Sinister — $7.5 million
2. Taken 2 — $7 million
3. Argo — $5.9 million
4. Hotel Transylvania — $4.2 million
5. Here Comes the Boom — $3.6 million
Check back tomorrow for the full box office report.
