You Can See Everything Tops Box Office Over Halloween Weekend

A documentary about Elizabeth Holmes has claimed the top spot in American box offices over Halloween weekend, a notable achievement for A24 but a worrying sign for theaters heading into November's thin schedule.

The film, titled You Can See Everything and directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, narrowly edged out DC Studios' Clayface to take in $11.4 million in its third weekend, according to Variety's final figures reported on Monday. This success marks a significant milestone for A24, as it is the first documentary outside of the concert genre to top the box office since Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004.

However, the lack of direct competition from major studios may be telling. None released a wide film over Halloween weekend, and overall ticket sales plummeted by more than 40% compared to the previous week, with an estimated total of about $56 million. This drop makes it one of the lowest-grossing weekends of the year so far.

A key factor contributing to this slump is that Halloween falls on a weekend without the usual extra day off for moviegoers. As a result, many people opt to spend their peak movie hours trick-or-treating or attending parties instead of heading to the cinema.

The Halloween weekend in 2020 marked a low point for movie theaters, which were still reeling from the pandemic's impact. The following year, 2015, was also a weak period for box office performance, with three new releases underperforming and The Martian dominating the charts.

This year's Halloween is shaping up to be similarly quiet, foreshadowing a tough November at the box office. One of the few major releases scheduled for this month is Lionsgate's adaptation of Suzanne Collins' 2025 bestseller, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

The film, which hits theaters on November 20, is expected to open strongly, with Boxoffice Pro predicting a $55 million to $65 million debut. This would be a respectable start for the sixth installment in the franchise, following the success of 2023's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Disney and Universal will release their animated films Hexed and Focker In-Law on November 25. The latter is a riskier bet, given that it has been 16 years since the last film in the franchise, Little Fockers, opened with $30.8 million.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' animated The Cat in the Hat and Searchlight's Wild Horse Nine will hit theaters on November 6, joining a crowded field of smaller titles like Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol and I Play Rocky. However, the biggest competition for these films may come from the video game industry, as Rockstar Games prepares to release Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19.

The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI is set to hit stores on November 19, bringing with it a massive wave of excitement and anticipation among gamers worldwide. This sixth installment in the series has been in development for years, with Rockstar confirming its existence in February 2022.

In recent months, leaks have only added to the buzz surrounding GTA VI. In December 2023, the game's first trailer was leaked hours before its scheduled debut, giving fans a glimpse into what promises to be an expansive and immersive gaming experience. The game's setting is expected to be larger than any previous Grand Theft Auto title.

The success of GTA V in 2013 set a high bar for the series, with it generating $800 million in sales within its first 24 hours and reaching $1 billion in just three days. Since then, GTA V has gone on to sell over 230 million units worldwide, cementing its status as one of the best-selling entertainment properties of all time.

The pre-launch hype for GTA VI is already showing no signs of slowing down, with analytics firm Sensor Tower estimating that it had drawn 6.45 million digital pre-orders worth around $630 million by October 20. This staggering figure already surpasses the domestic box office earnings of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, the year's second-highest-grossing film behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

The massive pre-launch haul for GTA VI is also a testament to the game's global appeal, with its estimated $630 million in digital pre-orders dwarfing the combined box office earnings of all movies playing in North American theaters over Halloween weekend.

The highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI is poised to command significant attention from millions of gamers worldwide when it drops later this month. This massive pre-launch hype may divert some viewers away from the big screen for at least a weekend.

The resulting dent in the November box office is likely to be substantial, given the size and scope of GTA VI's global appeal.