Horror Movies Rule the Box Office: Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” Cuts Its Way to a Huge Opening, and “Freakier Friday” Makes Fans Happy

The psychological horror movie is set to make over $40 million in its first weekend, while the Disney comedic sequel is set to make $30 million. This shows that even in a saturated market, good movies still get people to go to the movies.

Los Angeles, California, USA—August 10, 2025: There are two very different hits at the movie office this weekend. New Line’s psychological horror movie “Weapons” had a great opening, making $18.2 million on Friday and setting it up for a possible $40 million to $43 million opening weekend. On the other hand, Disney’s sequel to the nostalgic comedy “Freakier Friday” is doing well with an opening of $30 million to $32 million.

The upcoming movie “Weapons,” directed by Zach Cregger of “The Barbarian,” is showing how a brilliant, mysterious marketing strategy can work. The studio didn’t tell anyone what the story was about, but they did show creepy clowns and bloody faces. The plan worked, and a huge 34% of its profits came from IMAX and other high-end formats. The movie has gotten an A- CinemaScore, which is a very high score for a horror movie. This places it in the same league as classics like “Get Out.” The movie is most popular with people under 35, who make up 72% of the audience and gave it an A-.

In a year full with horror movies, “Weapons” stands out as the best. This shows that good movies will always draw a crowd. The movie is doing best in the East, South Central, and West, with the AMC Burbank 16 theater having the most sales in the country.

Disney’s “Freakier Friday,” on the other hand, is a comedy hit. The movie made $12.7 million on Friday, which put it up for a very good opening weekend of $30 million to $32 million. The sequel is definitely making its fans happy, getting an A CinemaScore, which is even better than the original 2003 film’s A-.

The movie has a lot of female fans, with 71% of its audience being women and a solid 68% saying they would “definitely recommend” it. It stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, who are both quite popular. “Freakier Friday” has demonstrated that a comedy can still do well at the box office, especially with a budget of $45 million. The movie’s funny idea and the stars’ long-lasting popularity helped it do well.

Both movies did well, which shows that people want new movies that are well-marketed, no matter what type they are.