Warner Bros. has achieved another significant box office victory in the horror genre with Weapons, a mystery-thriller from writer-director Zach Cregger. The R-rated original film launched with an impressive $18.2 million on its first Friday in the United States, ranking as the third-largest opening day for an original horror film in the post-pandemic era. The total includes $5.7 million from Thursday night previews, surpassing comparable starts for Scream 5 ($3.5M), A Quiet Place Part II ($4.8M), and WB’s earlier 2025 success, Sinners ($4.7M).
This performance places Weapons just behind Nope ($19.5M) and Sinners ($19.2M) among post-COVID original horror titles. Current industry tracking now predicts a three-day domestic opening between $42 million and $47 million, with the possibility of exceeding expectations if positive audience reactions sustain momentum.
The film is showing strength internationally as well, earning $6.6 million overseas on Friday for an early foreign total of $11.5 million. Combined with domestic numbers, Weapons has already reached $29.7 million worldwide in just its initial days. Given its $38 million production budget, analysts suggest it could potentially surpass $200 million globally.
Audience reception has been notably strong for a horror release with an R rating. The film holds an A- CinemaScore, indicating solid word-of-mouth potential, alongside a 96 percent critics score and a 90 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Such ratings are rare in the genre and suggest that Weapons may enjoy long-term staying power in theaters.
The film’s performance reinforces Warner Bros.’ position as a leading player in the horror market for 2025, following earlier hits like Sinners and Final Destination: Bloodlines. With Weapons, the studio has now delivered its third horror release of the year to open at No. 1 at the domestic box office.
Written, co-scored, produced, and directed by Zach Cregger, Weapons stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. The plot revolves around the unsettling disappearance of seventeen children from the same classroom on a single night, seemingly taken by an unknown force.
After its early debut in the Philippines on August 6, 2025, Weapons opened domestically on August 8, 2025. With strong reviews, high audience scores, and robust box office performance, the film appears on track to become one of the most commercially and critically successful horror releases of the year.
