Horror movies “Antlers” and “Last Night in Soho” opened nationwide and struggled to scare up strong ticket sales, leaving last weekend’s champion “Dune” to rule over box office charts again.

It’s the first time since the pandemic that people could safely celebrate the spooky holiday, so it’s understandable that audiences opted to trick-or-treat or go to costumed parties rather than visit their local cinemas.

“Dune”, the big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel, generated US$15.5 million (RM64.3 million) in its second weekend of release, bringing its domestic total to US$69.4 million.

The film, which opened simultaneously on HBO Max, declined 62% from its debut, a considerably better hold than other Warner Bros spectacles such as “Mortal Kombat”, “The Suicide Squad” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy”. Those movies all but collapsed in their second weekends, plunging roughly 70%, while playing day-and-date on streaming.

For “Dune,” most of the marketing has hinged on the idea that fans need to watch the movie in the best-possible quality, that is, in cinemas.

Patrons have been responding to that sentiment, as evidenced by robust Imax ticket sales. The premium format accounted for US$4.2 million of this weekend’s haul and US$17 million of “Dune’s” overall domestic tally.

Warner Bros and Legendary, the companies behind “Dune”, have already announced that director Denis Villeneuve and stars Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya will return to Arrakis for a sequel.

The Focus Features film “Last Night in Soho” and Searchlight’s “Antlers” battle for sixth place, with each film collecting a tepid US$4.2 million over the weekend.