‘Weapons’ slashes to $70M worldwide, proving original horror can still rule the box office

'Weapons,' a horror film with no built-in franchise and no marquee movie star slashed its way to $42.5 million domestically to claim the box office crown. Director Zach Cregger had already earned horror cred with 'Barbarian', a cult hit among genre fans, but 'Weapons' is a clear mainstream breakthrough.

Horror doesn’t always travel well internationally, but 'Weapons' still pulled in $27.5 million overseas. At $70 million worldwide in its opening frame, the film is already essentially a hit. With 'Sinners' as another recent non-I.P. genre success, the path might just be opening for original horror on the big screen. Everyone else? They may still be stuck kicking rocks.

Disney’s legacy sequel 'Freakier Friday,' essentially more body-swapping than the first go-round, opened to $29 million domestically. In a sign of how quiet late summer can be, that’s the best August debut for any movie rated below PG-13. Add $15.5 million from overseas, and the film has already covered its $45 million budget. Turns out, you can make comedies for cheap. Maybe make more of them?

Meanwhile, 'The Naked Gun' slipped to fifth place but held remarkably well for an R-rated comedy, dropping just 50 percent domestically. It now sits at $33 million domestic and $56 million worldwide. With a $42 million budget (in the same ballpark as 'Freakier Friday') and strong reviews, it won’t single-handedly revive theatrical comedy, but it’s certainly giving the genre a boost.

Elsewhere, ‘Superman’ is closing in on $600 million worldwide, letting James Gunn kick back and spend more time on Threads debunking rumors. ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ has crossed $800 million, a solid haul, but a letdown for a franchise used to smashing the $1 billion mark.

Not everything is rosy, though. ‘Fantastic Four’ had another rough weekend, dropping 60 percent domestically to bring in $15.5 million. The film now stands at $240.3 million domestically and $434.2 million worldwide. While that’s an improvement over recent MCU entries, the Fantastic Four haven’t quite rescued Marvel’s box office mojo. These movies have become something of a niche.

That might sound like a downer, but if you’re tired of cookie-cutter superhero flicks and eager to see more original horror from bold directors, it could be the silver lining we need.

(h/t The Hollywood Reporter)