Box Office

World number one Terminator: Dark Fate got off to a difficult start and risks living up to its title after both global and domestic earnings fell well short of projections. Early numbers had T: DF coming at an already rather low $40 million domestic, but receipt tallies showed as soon as Friday that it would miss that target.

A slow weekend with no major new releases saw a familiar face return to the top of the North American chart. Joker, now in its fourth week in theaters, came in first place after having slipped below Disney’s maligned Maleficent: Mistress of Evil last session.

The 30th New Orleans Film Festival ended with Kasi Lemmon’s new film Harriet, about Harriet Tubman, the African American Joan of Arc who lead over 700 slaves to safety on the Underground Railroad in the late 1850s and early 1860s, and whose face would be on the 20 dollar bill, if the current President had not nixed this plan as soon as he took office. Tubman is played by British singer/actress Cynthia Erivo and moviegoers will recognize cast members like Vondie Curtis-Hall, Joe Alwyn, Vanessa Bell-Calloway and others.

Disney’s new pre-Halloween entry Maleficent: Mistress of Evil managed to take Joker out of the top spot, but was it worth the price? As the second entry in this Globe winner Angelina Jolie- led series, Mistress of Evil sees her titular misunderstood sorceress queen reluctantly vying to save the life of her rival and her rival’s daughter-in-law to be, played by fellow Globe winner Michelle Pfeiffer and Elle Fanning, from sinister forces. Globe nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in the movie.

This weekend saw Joker laughing away maniacally at the top of the charts while serious new contenders fell by the wayside. Gemini Man, from Paramount, took the biggest hit among these with its $20.

After collecting one of the most coveted awards of the Fall festival season – Venice’s Golden Lion – and surviving an ocean of controversy, Warner Bros’ Joker broke the October box office records, taking $ 96 million from 4, 374 theaters in the US and Canada, and $ 140. 5 million from 73 overseas markets, for a worldwide take of $ 247 million.

Universal and DreamWorks’ Abominable took the top spot on the overall global chart with $29. 65 million.

Several movies took off this weekend, with James Gray’s cerebral interplanetary action thriller Ad Astra leading the way. Fox’s high concept, the star-studded deep-space spectacle made $45.

With little surprise It: Chapter Two stayed on top of the global charts again and finished its second frame with $87. 7 million worldwide.

This weekend belonged squarely to Warner Bros. ’ It Chapter Two.