While family audiences and animation fans wait for the next big holiday release window features from major studios, toons are still holding their own at the box office. This weekend’s domestic Top 10 was an eclectic mix of titles.
Coming in at No. 3 overall (behind Paramount’s Regretting You and Universal’s Black Phone 2), the anime horror-actioner Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc (Sony Pictures Releasing) scored $6 million over three days for Halloween weekend, screening in 3,003 theaters in second week of release, with a big jump on Saturday (+104% day on day). The pic has sliced its way to a domestic total of $30.98M, adding to its $08.2M overseas take ($46.46M from Japan alone).
Just behind at No. 4, KPop Demon Hunters returned for an encore of its sold-out Sing-Along event screenings presented by Netflix. The Sony Pictures Animation-produced smash hit (and the year’s most popular Halloween costume inspo) had fans belting out tunes across 2,890 theaters, reaching a three-day high note of $5.3M. The two limited runs have brought in a combined $24.3M from North American theaters.
Moviegoers seeking a fresh toon title sought out Stitch Head, the lovable made-monster meets circus sideshow adventure from Gringo Films (Germany) and GFM Animation (U.K.), released stateside by Briarcliff Entertainment. The family pic made a timely Halloween debut, coming in at No. 9 on the weekend charts with a three-day total of $2.1M from 2,162 theaters; the movie debuted Wednesday, adding up to $2.5M as of Sunday.
In more good news for indie animation fanatics, the return of iconic festival brand Spike & Mike’s Animation Extravaganza today reported a total gross of $104,797 from its three-day run (Oct. 31 – Nov. 2) at 215 theaters nationwide. Presented by Skybound Entertainment, Spike & Mike‘s Halloween resurrection featured a 90-minute mix of retro ‘70s and ‘80s animation, quirky live-action bits and 24 new shorts, hosted by YouTubers Jaiden Animations and Ross O’Donovan (RubberRoss).
Skybound notes that strong turnout in West Coast markets helped drive an impressive opening for this event, and that overwhelmingly positive audience response is setting the stage for potential additional dates in select cities.
“It’s been incredible to see longtime fans reconnect with the Spike & Mike brand while new viewers discovered it for the first time,” said Chelsea Harfoush, the event’s executive director. “It’s proof that audiences are hungry for bold, original, offbeat animation. To continue to offer the next generation of animation visionaries a platform, we’re excited to announce that we have opened submissions for another Animation Extravaganza to take place in 2026.”
Submissions are now open for the 2026 Animation Extravaganza at spikeandmikefest.com/submit-a-short.
[Sources: BoxOfficeMojo, Deadline, Skybound Ent.]
