Halloween Ends continued the supremacy of the horror genre at both the domestic and international box office. The supposedly final film of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, spooked up $41.2 million to emerge as number one.

Halloween Ends, the thirteenth entry in the popular Halloween movie series, was projected to earn from $45 million to $50 million on its debut. The David Gordon Green-directed slasher film, written by Green, actor Danny McBride, Paul Brad Logan, and Chris Bernie, may have missed its mark because it is also streaming on Peacock.

On the role that earned her the Scream Queen title, Curtis was quoted by Variety as saying on the premiere red carpet of Halloween Ends: “The universal understanding of Laurie Strode is that as this original ‘final girl,’ she never gave up, always pushing through no matter what. It is beyond comprehension that that is my legacy. I feel like I haven’t given up, that I have continued to try, but not at the level of Laurie Strode.

“What I’ve gotten from her is way more than she’s gotten from me. Because when I’m gone, her legacy will become mine. Now, of course, I have my children, which is my life, and that’s crucial.

“But in the films, she is my legacy, and I could not be prouder of any legacy – unless it’s like Mother Teresa or, you know, a great, great Nelson Mandela or somebody like that – but in a film character, there’s not one you could name that I would rather be than Laurie Strode.”

Fright films scored a 1-2 finish at the box office as Smile, the period’s surprise hit, dropped 33 percent only on its third weekend and scooped up $12.4 million. Made for $17 million, the supernatural horror film centering on a therapist played by Sosie Bacon has earned a total of $71.1 million in North America alone.

Smile, Halloween Ends, Barbarian, and Terrifier 2 – four films in the top ten – prove the continuing appeal of horror movies, especially among young filmgoers.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Constance Wu, and Javier Bardem’s animation/live-action hybrid based on the beloved children’s book series, offered a family fare alternative from the horror schlock but only grossed $7.4 million. That landed Josh Gordon and Will Speck’s joint directing effort in third.

Following in fourth place was The Woman King, which continued its fierce performance, like that of the historical epic film’s Agojie all-female soldiers. Demonstrating strong legs on its fifth frame, the Viola Davis movie is living up to the box office analysts’ prediction that it will have a long solid run.

Gina Prince-Bythewood’s action-drama-history, also starring Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega, raked in $3.7 million for a total of $59.7 million after five weeks.

Amsterdam settled for the fifth spot. The star-studded film from David O. Russell, with a cast that includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, Taylor Swift, and Anya Taylor-Joy, collected $2.89 million for a paltry two-week sum of $12 million.

Comprising the rest of the top ten were, in order: Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling, $2.185 million; Barbarian, $1.4 million; Bros, $900,000; Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2, $850,000; and Top Gun Maverick, $685,000.

Remarkably, Tom Cruise’s blockbuster is back in the magic ten after slipping out for a few weeks.

Internationally, the horror genre also kept its tight grip. Halloween Ends also started at the top in the offshore market with $17.2 million in more than 70 territories. Curtis’ last scream as Laurie was heard loudest in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Germany, and France.

The overseas box office gods also continued to grin broadly over Smile which drew $16.3 million and hit the $100 million global benchmark – $137.6 million, to be exact. Parker Finn’s feature directing debut fared strongly in Brazil, Spain, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Germany.

Also toasting a milestone was DC League of Super-Pets, one of this year’s biggest animated hits, which hit the $200 worldwide benchmark. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart lead the voice cast of the Jared Stern and John Whittington action-adventure.

In China, the current top grosser, director Xiaozhi Rao’s Home Coming, collected $12 million to increase the action-drama-thriller’s three-week take to $183 million.

In India, Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, and Jayam Ravi’s Ponniyin Selvan: Part I continues to dominate with $36.5 million and a worldwide cumulative of $56 million.

In the coming weekend, will Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, the DC Extended Universe’s eagerly awaited spin-off from Shazam!, break the box office stronghold of horror films?