I’ve been enjoying Vampire Survivors a lot on my Steam Deck. If you missed it, read my review of it here. The popularity of Vampire Survivors on Steam has led to many games to try and put their own spin on things. 20 Minutes Till Dawn($1.99) on mobile is one of my favorites. It was updated about a month ago on iOS to finally add controller support and more localizations in addition to finally be playable offline. Over the weekend, it was updated to add in a new character, Yuki, who is pictured below. The update also mentions a new visual option for bosses, but that seemingly was already in the game as of a few weeks ago.
Yuki needs to be unlocked, and is the newest character in the game. If you aren’t seeing her, scroll to the right on the character selection screen. This boss contour option can be toggled in the settings alongside screen shake which I disable as usual. If you haven’t gotten it yet, 20 Minutes Till Dawn is priced at about $2.99 or your regional equivalent on iOS. Check it out on the App Store for iOS here, Google Play for Android here, and also on Steam here. Head over to our forum thread for the game here for more discussion around the game on mobile. Have you played it yet on any platform?
Following this week’s new Apple Arcade release of Football Manager 2023 Touch () as the newest Apple Arcade Original, many games on the service have gotten big updates today with Thanksgiving events and more. While we usually have a new game released on Friday alongside the updates, Football Manager 2023 Touch released earlier to coincide with the launch on consoles, PC, and mobile version. The first update of the week is Cut the Rope Remastered celebrating Thanksgiving with 9 new levels. This update arrives after the birthday update last month. Asphalt 8+ lets you earn more rewards for tasks to unlock a new currency to use on resources. The update also adds new cars including the Ferrari F8 Turbo and Lamborghini Terzo Millennio alongside free gifts.
Fruit Ninja Classic+ brings in new blade powers and six new blades alongside a Thanksgiving event that adds the Turkey Blade. This is only available until November 27th. LEGO Brawls adds in a new Pirate free-for-brawl level, new emojis, Golden Anniversary content, and various improvements and fixes. Zookeeper World brings in 12 new puzzle stages with the next set available on November 20th. This update also adds the Billiards minigame. The final notable update of the week is Solitaire Stories getting a new storyline set in the sky. This new story, Cosmos, showcases Heracles’ accomplishments. The update also adds the Rolling Thunder limited-time event. With the updates done, check out our forum threads for Asphalt 8+here, LEGO Brawlshere, Solitaire Storieshere, Zookeeper Worldhere, and Cut the Rope Remasteredhere. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Apple’s recently released games?
Feral Interactive has just released the massive Kingdoms expansion for the mobile premium conversion of Total War: Medieval II($14.99) on iOS and Android alongside a huge update for the base game. The Total War: Medieval II 1.4 update available for all owners of the base game adds support for buying this expansion, a new pre-game launcher to allow players to choose the base game or expansion campaigns (once purchased), a new Settlement Viewer option, the ability to rename settlements, tons of fixes, and improvements. If you’ve not kept up with the expansion, it adds in four new campaigns, 24 playable factions, new units, abilities, and more. Read my review of the iOS version of the base game here. Watch the Total War: Medieval II ‘Kingdoms’ expansion launch trailer for iOS and Android below:
Total War: Medieval II Kingdoms is out now for $6.99 as an in app purchase for the base game. If you do plan on buying the expansion, keep in mind that it needs about 7.65GB to install with support for downloading each of the campaigns individually if you’d like. I will have a review of the Kingdoms expansion very soon based on my playtime with it on iPhone 14 Plus, iPad Pro (2020), and iPhone 11. Total War: Medieval II is priced at $14.99 or regional equivalent on both iOS and Android. If you’d like to play it, you can buy Total War: Medieval II on the App Store for iOS here and grab it on Google Play for Android here. Check out Total War: Medieval II on Steam here to see the current PC version. Have you played Total War: Medieval II on mobile yet and will you be buying the Total War: Medieval II Kingdoms today?
Back in May this year, Sigono’s OPUS: Echo of Starsong() hit Nintendo Switch as OPUS: Echo of Starsong Full Bloom Edition that brought new voice acting. The visual novel-style adventure game was one of the best games to release on Switch this year when it launched. Read my review of the Switch version here. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is now coming to iOS in just over a week. The iOS version is a premium release arriving with all updates included from the start. Watch the OPUS: Echo of Starsong trailer below:
If you’d like to play OPUS: Echo of Starsong on iOS, you can pre-order it for $7.99 until launch. The price will go up by around 12% at launch. If you’d like to play it on Switch or Steam, grab it here on Steam and here on the eShop. The console and PC versions are priced at $24.99. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is also available on Xbox Game Pass. Check it out here on Xbox. I didn’t think OPUS: Echo of Starsong would hit iOS so soon after coming to Xbox, but I’m glad to see Sigono bring it over. I’ll be reviewing the iOS version and comparing it to the PC and Switch versions as usual. Have you played OPUS: Echo of Starsong before or will you be jumping into it on November 17th on iOS?
Following the announcements of not just Football Manager 2023 Touch but also Mobile, Sega has released Football Manager 2023 Mobile for iOS and Android today as a paid game with in app purchases. If you have Apple Arcade, Football Manager 2023 Touch () is back on Apple platforms. Beginning today, you can play Football Manager 2023 Touch on iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and tvOS. Last year, Football Manager 2022 Mobile was the only version of the game available on iOS and Android with Touch skipping mobile. Football Manager 2023 itself is releasing on PC, Xbox platforms, and eventually on PlayStation 5. The PS5 version was recently delayed. Check out our forum thread for Football Manager 2023 Touch on Apple Arcade here.
With today’s launch, the websites for each version now detail the differences. Check out the website for Football Manager 2023 Touch on Apple Arcade here and the mobile version feature site here. This release brings the 3D Match Engine to iPhone for the first time. Grab it on Apple Arcade here. If you don’t have Apple Arcade or want the mobile version of the game, grab Football Manager 2023 Mobile here on Google Play for Android and here on the App Store for iOS for $9.99. Did you end up playing Football Manager 2022 on any platform yet and what do you think of Football Manager 2023 Touch coming to Apple Arcade at launch?
About a week ago, Motion Twin revealed that Shovel Knight with the King Scepter will be joining Dead Cells in the next free update. Since then, we’ve learned of many more characters coming into the game as a part of the indie crossover update. Playdigious is set to bring three major updates from Motion Twin to Dead Cells($7.99) on mobile this month, but the other versions of the game will be adding quite a bit very soon. The indie crossover update will bring in Subject Zero from Katana Zero, the Ironclad from Slay the Spire, Jacket from Hotline Miami, Terraria, and finally the Commando from Risk of Rain. Watch some footage of Jacket from Hotline Miami in Dead Cells from the upcoming free update below:
Hopefully we get to know about this indie collaboration on mobile once Playdigious ships out the three major updates this month. Check out details for the Break the Bank update here, Enter the Panchaku update here, and Breaking Barriers update here. If you’re curious about Dead Cells on mobile, I did an interview with Playdigious covering that and Streets of Rage 4. Read it here. If you’re on iOS, you can buy Dead Cells on the App Store. Check it out on Google Play here for Android. If you’re unsure whether to grab it on mobile or Switch, read my comparison here. What do you think of Dead Cells and its current state on mobile and have you been playing it regularly?
We’ve been covering HandyGames’ upcoming mobile version of Bugbear’s demolition derby-style racer Wreckfest() for a while now across its trailers and pre-orders. Wreckfest had pre-registrations going live before alongside iOS pre-orders that had a potential release date listed. The placeholder date on the App Store eventually changed to November 15th. Over the weekend, HandyGames posted a new video of Wreckfest for mobile showcasing controller customization options. HandyGames also confirmed graphics settings customization in a reply on Twitter. Check it out below:
Ahead of the currently listed release date of November 15th, you can pre-order and pre-register for it on mobile right now. If you’d like to grab it at launch, you can pre-order Wreckfest on the App Store for iOS for $8.99 right now here and pre-register for it on Google Play here. The App Store page for Wreckfest lists different car packs and content bundles as in app purchases right now. The console game is priced at $39.99 on Nintendo Switch with additional paid DLC available. Check out Wreckfest on Steam here. Have you played Wreckfest yet on any platform and are you going to grab it on mobile when it releases soon?
Following its recent announcement to be added to Apple Arcade, Mika Mobile’s amazing action RPG Battleheart Legacy+() has arrived on the service as an App Store Great. If you’ve not played it yet, make sure to try it out on the service for its excellent strategic combat and customization. We chose it as our Game of the Week when it released back in 2014 and gave it 5 stars in our original review. While Apple has been bringing many classics to the service as App Store Greats, Battleheart Legacy+ is one of the few I feel like not many people talk about lately. Hopefully with it being in the service it gets a lot more people playing it. Watch the Battleheart Legacy+ trailer below:
Alongside that, many notable games on the service have been updated today. As revealed recently, the big Mini Motorways Endless & Expert update is now live. This update is the biggest one yet for the game bringing in the new Endless Mode, Expert Mode, manual zoom options, and a lot more. Read about it here. Garden Tails, the match puzzler, brings in a new garden, 115 levels, a daily login reward, and more in today’s update alongside a hints toggle option. Gameloft’s SongPop Party has a Thanksgiving event on right now with new playlists to unlock Butters the turkey as a character. Gibbon: Beyond the Trees has an unlockable encyclopedia with today’s update, new story content, new levels in the Liberation and Daily Run modes, and more.
Frogger and the Rumbling Ruins has another update with the Sky Ruins, the game’s sixth dungeon, new costumes, records, and treasures. A checkpoint system has been added to boss stages as well with some stage changes in other areas. The final notable update of the week of Crayola Create and Play+ also celebrating Thanksgiving with a lesson to teach you to draw your own turkey, the Fall Feast seasonal event, and new Dinosaur Craftables. Following today’s updates, head over to our forum thread for Mini Motorwayshere, Garden Tailshere, Gibbonhere, SongPop Partyhere, Crayola Create and Play+here, and Frogger and the Rumbling Ruinshere. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of this month’s games?
To the Moon($4.99) from Freebird Games (Kan Gao) hit mobile through XD Inc back in 2017, and it brought one of my favorite stories in gaming to mobile platforms for the first time. The sequel, Finding Paradise, was announced last year to come to mobile, and we finally know that it will arrive in two weeks. This version of Finding Paradise has been rebuilt from scratch with HD visuals and other enhancements. It will launch on mobile and Nintendo Switch on November 18th worldwide. If you’ve not played it, Finding Paradise has you following the story of two doctors going through a dying man’s memories to fulfill his last wish. I’ve been waiting for the iOS release to fully experience Finding Paradise. Watch the Finding Paradise mobile and Switch release date trailer below:
As revealed last year, Finding Paradise on mobile will also include a new menu and interface for mobile, tap and virtual joystick options, and auto-save. If you aren’t sure about this and haven’t played To the Moon yet, the Steam page for Finding Paradise mentions that this is a standalone experience that doesn’t require you to have played any prior games. Read Shaun’s review of the iOS version here and Nintendo Switch version here for To the Moon. Finding Paradise is set to release on November 18th for $4.99 on mobile and $11.99 on Nintendo Switch. This new version from XD also includes a new music box mode to access the soundtrack. Head over to our forum thread for To the Moonhere. Have you played any of Freebird Games’ releases so far on mobile or PC?
Blizzard just revealed the newest expansion for Hearthstone(Free) with a big patch going live on iOS, Android, and PC. Hearthstone March of the Lich King features the new Death Knight playable class, the new Manathirst keyword, Undead minions, and more. This expansion launches worldwide next month featuring 145 new cards with pre-purchase now available inside the Hearthstone client on mobile. The Death Knight class is a new permanent addition to the game with a 1/1 Ghoul with Charge summon that dies at the end of the turn as Hero Power. Alongside the announcement for the expansion, a new Sunwell Login Reward is available in-game now. Full details for the expansion are here. Watch the cinematic trailer for Hearthstone March of the Lich King below:
Patch 25.0 will also introduce Signature Cards and Signature Golden Packs that are a new cosmetic quality for cards featuring stylized full-art images. These cannot be crafted or disenchanted and can only be earned through special ways. Hearthstone March of the Lich King will see 18 Signature Cards arrive. For pre-purchase ahead of the December 6th release date for Hearthstone March of the Lich King, you can grab the Mega Bundle with 2 random Hearthstone March of the Lich King Signature Legendary cards and Signature Golden Packs in addition to 80 expansion card packs and the card back. Future expansions will see Signature Golden Packs replace Golden Packs. The regular bundle includes 60 expansion packs, two random Legendary cards, and the Lor’themar card back. Blizzard is allowing pre-purchase bundles to be available for a week after the expansion launches this time as well. If you haven’t grabbed Hearthstone yet, check it out here on the App Store. Do you play Hearthstone often?
Following pre-installation going live earlier in the week, Genshin Impact version 3.2 “Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises” is out now on all platforms. This update arrives after the release of of version 3.1 ‘King Deshret and the Three Magi’. Genshin Impact(Free) version 3.2 “Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises” includes the grand finale of the Sumeru Archon Quest, Dendro Hypostasis as a new boss enemy, new playable characters including Nahida and Layla, a new event to train your Fungi, and more. Full patch notes for the update including compensation details are here. This update also brings in the Replication System for the Serenitea Pot system and it has some anti-aliasing adjustments for PlayStation and PC that are noteworthy. Watch the Genshin Impact 3.2 update Nahida character trailer below:
As with prior updates, if you didn’t pre-install on iOS and Android through the titlescreen, you will need to download the update content while in-game. After today’s update, Italian and Turkish language support will be available in the game from version 3.3 in the near future. If you haven’t checked out Genshin Impact yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. Have you been playing Genshin Impact recently and what do you think of the game’s current state?
Embroidery puzzler Stitch.() from Lumen and Tint developer Lykke Studios is this week’s new Apple Arcade release. This week’s Apple Arcade Original has you filling in levels’ areas with no gaps to complete Hoops. Stitch. features a lovely embroidery aesthetic and more than 50 regular Hoops at launch. It also ships with support for Weekly Hopes that are available every seven days, a free stitch mode, challenges, and accessibility options. It looks and sounds very relaxing. You can grab Stitch.here on Apple Arcade. Watch the trailer for Stitch. below:
Alongside Stitch., many games have gotten updates with new content and some have gotten Halloween-themed updates this week. Angry Birds Reloaded adds in 45 new Halloween-themed levels, the Haunted House featuring Ghost Blocks, 8 new costumes, and more. Cooking Mama: Cuisine! 1.2.0 lets you make more combinations on Thursdays, a new recipe book, new achievement goals, and more today. Red Games Co’s Crayola Create and Play+ has new limited-time goodies, a Playful Pet Costume Party, the Halloween Carnival, and much more to celebrate the spooky season.
Today, Goat Simulator+ from Coffee Stain has added in GoatZ to the Apple Arcade version of Goat Simulator. GoatZ has zombies, crafting, a big map, survival mode, many new unlockables, and more. The final update of the week is Spire Blast from Orbital Knight. Spire Blast has added in 20 new levels and more as with prior updates to the game. With the updates out of the way, head over to our forum threads for Angry Birds Reloadedhere, Stitch.here, Cooking Mama: Cuisine!here, Crayola Create and Play+here, Goat Simulator+here, and Spire Blasthere. For all Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of this month’s releases on Apple Arcade?
Playdigious is set to bring three major updates from Motion Twin to Dead Cells($8.99) on mobile next month together. On mobile, Dead Cells previously got its huge DLC this year in the form of ‘The Queen and the Sea’ for iOS and Android. If you haven’t bought Dead Cells on mobile yet, read my review on the game’s current state here. Today, Motion Twin announced that the next free update on PC and consoles will bring in Shovel Knight as a playable character. We’ve had a few playable characters added to the game before, and the newest one is going to be Shovel Knight with the King Scepter. A release date has not been announced, but you can watch some footage of Shovel Knight in Dead Cells from the upcoming free update below:
Hopefully we get to know about this collaboration on mobile once Playdigious ships out the three major updates next month. Check out details for the Break the Bank update here, Enter the Panchaku update here, and Breaking Barriers update here. If you’re curious about Dead Cells on mobile, I did an interview with Playdigious covering that and Streets of Rage 4. Read it here. If you’re on iOS, you can buy Dead Cells on the App Store. Check it out on Google Play here for Android. If you’re unsure whether to grab it on mobile or Switch, read my comparison here. What do you think of Dead Cells and its current state on mobile and have you been playing it regularly?
Yes, this is the third time I’m posting about Death Road to Canada in the same week. You see, not only was it our Game of the Year for 2017, but it has gotten better with each major update since launch. Rocketcat Games and Madgarden’s fantastic road trip zombie apocalypse simulator Death Road to Canada($6.99) was confirmed to finally have two of its major updates rolled out this week on iOS alongside the game’s first ever(!) discount on the platform. Beginning yesterday, Death Road to Canada is discounted to its lowest price yet for a limited time on iOS. Today’s new update introduces content and features from the MANDIBLE and NERVE updates alongside the addition of Halloween Event support. This time, the Halloween Event time has been extended to take place until November 1st instead of just being available on the day itself. Watch a short clip showcasing the MANDIBLE update below:
Highlights of today’s major Death Road to Canada update on iOS barring the Halloween Event include an AI follower revamp, new ZP upgrades, 12 new zombie head types, a Duffle bag to access your trunk where you don’t have a car, new rare trading camps: Final Hospital and Mechanical Fortress, new locations, and much more. Check Death Road to Canada out here on the App Store. Rocketcat Games also confirmed that more updates are coming to Death Road to Canada. If you’ve not played it yet, Death Road to Canada was our Game of the Year for 2017, we also awarded it 5 stars in our review, and picked it for our Game of the Week upon release. If you haven’t played Death Road to Canada on iOS yet, are you grabbing it with today’s major update and the ongoing sale?
Following the release of the European Expansion for Wingspan($9.99), Monster Couch has announced that the Oceania Expansion is due soon on all platforms. Wingspan is currently available on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC platforms worldwide, and it is based on the original physical board game designed by Elizabeth Hargrave. Read my review of the iOS release of Wingspanhere. The Wingspan Oceania Expansion has nearly 100 new birds from the Oceania region, the new food type: Nectar, a new alternative player board, new music, new challenges, and all the features of the base game. Watch the Wingspan Oceania Expansion announcement trailer below:
The Wingspan European Expansion was released as an in app purchase for $9.99 on iOS and Android. A price point for the Wingspan Oceania Expansion is yet to be announced. I’m glad to see Monster Couch announce and confirm that this expansion is out soon and hope we also get the upcoming (physically) Asia expansion digitally. You can currently wishlist the Oceania Expansion on Steam here. If you’ve not played the base Wingspan game yet, your aim is to attract birds to your wildlife preserves. Wingspan is currently priced at $9.99 on mobile and $19.99 on consoles and PC platforms. Check it out on Google Play for Android here and on the App Store for iOS here. Head over to our forum thread for the game here. You can grab the Wingspan European Expansion on Steam here. Check out the official website for the game here. Have you played Wingspan yet on any platform alongside the European Expansion?
Rocketcat Games and Madgarden’s fantastic road trip zombie apocalypse simulator Death Road to Canada($14.99) is finally getting two major updates on iOS this Thursday. These are the MANDIBLE and NERVE updates. The Death Road to Canada MANDIBLE update on Steam added in new locations, a new major feature letting you change your controlled character without pausing, special characters, the Duffle Bag, new zombie heads, and a lot more. Recently, the developers confirmed that the Death Road to Canada MANDIBLE update would be released on mobile alongside the NERVE update. The NERVE update has a revamp to follower AI weapon selection, more character customization, new unlocks and a lot more. Read about it here. Both of these updates will arrive on iOS this Thursday. Watch a short clip showcasing the MANDIBLE update below:
The other big announcement is that Death Road to Canada will be having its first ever sale on iOS tomorrow (Wednesday, October 26th). This is notable because Death Road to Canada has only gone up in price with each content update. If you hesitated getting it on iOS, don’t miss out on the 54% off sale from October 26th until November 2nd bringing it from $14.99 to $6.99. Rocketcat Games also confirmed that more updates are coming to Death Road to Canada. If you’ve not played it yet, Death Road to Canada was our Game of the Year for 2017, we also awarded it 5 stars in our review, and picked it for our Game of the Week upon release. Do you still play the game often on any platform or will you be getting back to it on mobile this Thursday?
Mini Motorways on Apple Arcade has been updated regularly since launch, and it has since hit Steam and Nintendo Switch bringing in new content and features. The Mini Metro spin-off that has you planning complete road networks with elegant visuals is getting a big update on November 3rd across all platforms bringing in quality of life improvements and new game modes. The new modes are Endless Mode and Expert Mode. The former lets you start a new city in Endless Mode or continue after a Game Over playing at your own pace. The latter features tiles and upgrades being permanent. An upgrade also cannot be selected twice in a row here. The Expert Mode has its own leaderboard for each map. If you’ve not played it yet, watch the Mini Motorways trailer below:
The quality of life improvements include a new multi level zoom option coming to the game. I’m still hopeful that we can get cross platform save syncing across Apple Arcade, Steam, and Nintendo Switch in the future. Until this update hits on November 3rd, you can grab Mini Motorways on Apple Arcade here, Steam here, and Nintendo Switch here. Head over to our forum thread for Mini Motorwayshere for more discussion around it. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of the game compared to Mini Metro and its recent updates?
Following the launch of Genshin Impact(Free) version 3.1 ‘King Deshret and the Three Magi’, HoYoverse has revealed the release date and details for Version 3.2 “Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises”. Genshin Impact launches on November 2nd worldwide for iOS, Android, PC, PS5, and PS4. The highlights of the update include the grand finale of the Sumeru Archon Quest, Dendro Hypostasis as a new boss enemy, new playable characters including Nahida and Layla, a new event to train your Fungi, and more. This update also brings in the Replication System for the Serenitea Pot system. HoYoverse also announced that beginning version 3.3, Italian and Turkish languages will be available in the game. Watch the Genshin Impact 3.2 update trailer below:
A preview of 3.2 can be viewed here. If you haven’t checked out Genshin Impact yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. Have you been playing Genshin Impact recently and what do you think of the game’s current state?
Still Photography on the set of “Ticket To Paradise”
Stills Photography by Vince Vali
In even better news for the overall theatrical industry, Universal’s Ticket to Paradise opened with a rousing $6.4 million on Friday. The last of Universal’s four live-action comedies offered up this year, after Marry Me, Easter Sunday and Bros, showed that the sub-genre (even without music, action or fantasy) isn’t quite dead yet. With mixed-negative reviews (I liked it a lot, and your parents will too) and an A- from Cinemascore, we can expect an over/under $16.5 million domestic launch. Ol Parker’s $60 million rom-com, about two bitterly divorced parents (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) who team up to sabotage their daughter’s wedding, should be leggy as hell. Oscar season expansions aside, there’s nothing for adults who don’t like superheroes or horror films until Thanksgiving weekend. It has already earned $73 million overseas following a month-long international rollout.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Searchlight
In Oscar rollout news, Martin McDonagh’s terrific The Banshees of Inisherin debuted in four theaters yesterday, earning $67,000 for a likely $161,000 weekend. That will give Searchlight’s dark Brendan Gleeson/Colin Farrell/Kerry Condon/Barry Keoghan dramedy a promising $40,348 per-theater average. United Artists’ Till expanded to 104 theaters in advance of its nationwide rollout next weekend. The acclaimed true-life drama, for which Danielle Deadwyler is earning serious Oscar buzz, earned $120,000 on Friday for a likely $351,000 weekend (+45%) and $3,377 per-theater average. Cate Blanchett’s TÁR will also go wide next weekend. It expanded to 141 theaters and should gross $510,000 over the weekend for a $3,617 per-theater average and $1.215 million 17-day cume. We’ll see how many of this year’s critically acclaimed Oscar contenders are able to outgross Terrifier 2 ($5.7 million and rising rather than falling).
Michael Myers (aka The Shape) and Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in HALLOWEEN ENDS, directed by David Gordon Green
Universal and Blumhouse’s Halloween Ends took a near-record 89% drop on its second Friday, earning just $2.74 million for a likely $8 million (-80%) weekend and $54.177 million ten-day total. The poor review, divisive word-of-mouth and concurrent Peacock availability killed this one quick. I’m old enough to remember when the biggest Halloween movies earned $47 million (Halloween in 1978), $55 million (Halloween: H20 in 1998) and $58 million (Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake in 2007) in total. Paramount’s PARA Smile remains the scary movie of the scary season, earning $2.57 million (-32%) while adding 142 theaters in weekend four. We can expect an $8.5 million (-32%) weekend and $84.5 million 24-day total, putting it above the $81 million cume of Scream. It’ll pass Halloween Kills ($92 million) next weekend as it races past the $100 million milestone.
Terrifier 2
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting’s Terrifier 2 got oodles of mainstream media attention this week, as reports of audiences fainting or vomiting led to petitions to get the film banned. Those petitions are no more serious than the idiots advocating for a remake of Halloween Ends or the schmucks who tried to raise $200 million to remake The Last Jedi. It’s nice to see that an old-school video nasty-type flick can still get the torches and pitchforks in this fragmented media culture. Art the Clown’s 138-minute epic slasher sequel earned $545,500 (+118%) on Friday for a likely $2.29 million (+122%) weekend and $5.651 million domestic cume. Even accounting for the notion of demographically specific event movies (think RRR, Christmas with the Chosen, BTS: Permission to Dance, etc.), this is quite unexpected. Terrifier 2 is turning into The Greatest Showman of unrated slasher epics.
(l to r) Mrs. Primm (Constance Wu), Josh Primm (Winslow Fegley), Lyle (Lyle the Crocodile) and Hector (Javier Bardem) slurp up an ice cream sundae in Columbia Pictures LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE. Photo by: Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Sony’s Lyle Lyle Crocodile earned $1.185 million (-41%) on Friday for a likely $4.19 million (-43%) weekend and a disappointing $28.7 million 17-day cume. Sony’s The Woman King earned $520,000 (-49%) on Friday for a $1.93 million (-48%) weekend and $62.9 million 38-day domestic cume. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Don’t Worry Darling will have $44 million by day 31, while 20th Century Studios’ all-star (and $80 million) Amsterdam will have just $14 million by day 17. 20th Century Studios’ $4 million, R-rated original Barbarian will cross $40 million domestic this weekend, a remarkable achievement even while Smile stole much of its buzz. Top Gun: Maverick will plunge 61% in weekend 22 for a $261,000 weekend to absolutely, unquestionably and probably permanently fall out of the top ten. It’ll have to settle for Titanic-worthy legs, $716.5 million domestic and around $1.48 billion worldwide.
This week, NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition()hit Apple Arcade as the newest game on the service. While games usually launch on Friday, this one arrived earlier in the week featuring new content, the ‘Greatest’ mode, controller support, and more with the updates still hitting the store today. Many notable games on the service have gotten big updates with some being halloween themed. Let’s get into them then. MasterChef: Let’s Cook celebrates Halloween with a time-limited event featuring challenges alongside special Halloween recipes and customizations. Grindstone brings in 40 levels, blueprints for the Osmutational Arrow, Cosmic Mirrow Sword, and Lighting in a Bottle Potion with today’s update. Gear Club Stradale gets its sixth update today with a new Trackday game mode, 4 new tracks, the Car cCollection feature, new achievements, and much more.
Chameleon Run+ gets its first update on Apple Arcade bringing in 4 new levels. The final notable update of the week is Air Twister with its new limited time event from now until November 25th bringing in a new weapon skin and outfits. This update also adds the extra-long Fluffy stage: Cyber. Ahead of next week’s new release and updates, head over to our forum threads for MasterChef: Let’s Cook!here, Grindstonehere, Air Twisterhere, Gear Club Stradalehere, Air Twister here, and Chameleon Run+here. For all Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of this month’s releases on Apple Arcade so far?
