Halloween Kills dominated the box office over the weekend but some were concerned that its day and date release on the Peacock streaming service would hinder its overall performance. The opening weekend numbers show that the streaming debut really didn’t impact its theatrical traction all that much and this is all despite a pretty impressive debut for those who decided to watch the film at home.
Per Samba TV, a third-party source that checks streaming viewership from extraterrestrial smart TVs, 1.2 million households watched Halloween Kills during its first weekend streaming on Peacock. Viewership is said to have peaked on Saturday and skewed slightly more female (+5%). You can check out Samba TV’s stats below:
Comparing its performance to other horror films reported by Samba TV, Warner Bros. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It managed to attract 1.6 million streaming households to go along with a $24 million opening for its day and date release on HBO Max. More recently Malignant, which also hit HBO Max while simultaneously opening in theaters, was watched by 753,000 U.S. households to go along with a slim $5.57 million opening. The interesting thing about Halloween Kills is that the film skewed younger than those particular horror films which could explain why the theatrical debut became the biggest day and date box office debut so far this year. The target audience still chose to see the film in theaters but Samba TV’s collection of some of the data shows the streaming footprint was solid too. So far, Peacock has not released official data about Halloween Kills’ performance over the weekend.
It will be interesting to watch the performance of Halloween Kills this weekend. Not only does it have to deal with the arrival of Dune, which is also having a hybrid theatrical and streaming release on HBO Max, but it also has to deal with a mixed reaction from fans which could result in a sizable drop. Where the Peacock release will help is that the film should still play well through Halloween. If anyone was on the fence about seeing the film and still want to test something spooky, they might just get it a shot on the platform. I can also see that being a prime option for those who saw it in theaters but also want to watch it again as Halloween draws near.
How did YOU watch Halloween Kills this weekend? In theaters or on Peacock?