Spooky children’s horror Goosebumps scared up $23.5m to top the US box office on opening at the weekend, but Guillermo del Toro chiller Crimson Peak struggled with just $12.8m on debut.
Based on the series of supernatural books by prolific author RL Stine, Goosebumps stars Jack Black as the American writer, with Amy Ryan, Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush. The story adopts a conceit in which hordes of creatures from Stine’s novels escape from their manuscripts and begin haunting the small, fictional town of Madison, Delaware, with Black also voicing monstrous entities such as Slappy the Dummy from 1993’s Night of the Living Dummy and Brent Green from 1997’s My Best Friend Is Invisible.
Goosebumps came out only just ahead of the No 1 film from the past two weeks, The Martian, with Ridley Scott’s space thriller pulling in another $21.5m in its third week on release for a total of $143.8m.
Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed espionage drama Bridge of Spies opened in third place with $15.4m after world premiering at the New York film festival on 4 October. The cold war tale is based on the historical 1960 U-2 incident and stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan and Alan Alda. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw said the film was made with “terrific craftsmanship, pure storytelling gusto and that Midas-touch ability to find grounds for optimism everywhere” in his review.
Crimson Peak debuted in fourth place with Del Toro’s lowest North American opening for a major studio release, despite generally favourable reviews. Starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Charlie Hunnam, the supernatural horror centres on a young woman (Wasikowska), haunted by visions of her dead mother, who embarks on an unsavoury marriage with the aristocratic owner of the titular crumbling gothic mansion (Hiddleston). The top five was rounded out by animated sequel Hotel Transylvania 2, with another $12.3m for a fourth-week total of $136.4m.
The only other new release to make the top 10 this week was the Christian drama Woodlawn, which landed in ninth place on debut with $3.1m. The film, featuring Sean Astin, Jon Voight and newcomer Caleb Castille, centres on a high school American football team in 1970s Alabama which is riven by racial tension until all 40-plus squad members accept Jesus into their lives.
Danny Boyle’s Oscar-tipped biopic Steve Jobs continued to perform well on limited release after expanding to 60 cinemas this week, landing just outside the top 10 with $1.6m ahead of an imminent nationwide rollout.
North American box office 16-18 October
1. Goosebumps: $23.5m - NEW
2. The Martian: $21.5m. Total: $143.8m
3. Bridge of Spies: $15.4m - NEW
4. Crimson Peak: $12.8m - NEW
5. Hotel Transylvania 2: $12.3m. Total: $136.4m
6. Pan: $5.9. Total: $25.7m
7. The Intern: $4.5m. Total: $58.7m
8. Sicario: $4.1m. Total: $34.6m
9. Woodlawn: $3.1m - NEW
10. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials: $2.8m. Total: $75.4m
