‘Black Phone 2’ Opens Strong While ‘Tron: Ares’ Struggles Despite $100M Global Total

Universal and Blumhouse’s horror sequel “Black Phone 2” debuted to a solid $42 million worldwide this past weekend, surpassing its predecessor’s initial ticket sales. The film pulled in $26.5 million from the U.S. and Canada and $15.5 million from 71 international territories, with top overseas openings in Mexico ($4.3M), the UK and Ireland ($1.4M), and Brazil ($1.2M).

Directed by Scott Derrickson, “Black Phone 2” continues the terrifying saga of the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke. With a $30 million production budget, the film is already performing ahead of the first installment’s $35.8 million opening in 2022 and is well on its way to recouping costs. Blumhouse, however, will be hoping for strong legs in the coming weeks, as the studio has faced a challenging 2025 with flops such as Wolf Man and M3GAN 2.0. Another sequel, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, is set for a December release.

Meanwhile, Disney’s “Tron: Ares” continues to struggle against its massive $180 million production and promotional spend, despite earning $103 million globally after two weekends. The sci-fi franchise, now in its fifth decade, pulled $14.1 million internationally this weekend from 52 markets—a 50% drop from its debut. Analysts warn the film could become a money-loser for Disney if the decline continues.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s action comedy “One Battle After Another,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, added $11.8 million overseas, down only 21% from the prior weekend. With $162.5 million worldwide, the R-rated film has performed well critically and commercially but may still end its run in the red, considering Warner Bros.’ hefty $130M production and $70M marketing spend.

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