Weekend Box Office Wrap-Up: October 18, 2015

Box office beware, you’re in for a scare this weekend thanks to R.L. Stine and his spooky creations.Topping the charts this weekend is Goosebumps (read our review), which made $23.5 million in its first three days. That obviously isn’t close to breaking any records, but it’s still a solid debut for the horror comedy, which was heavily marketed as a zany adventure for families. The critical reception certainly helped, as it scored mostly positive reviews leading up to its release, making it an appealing option for the target demographic now that Hotel Transylvania 2 has been out for a few weeks.It will be interesting to see how well Goosebumps holds in the coming weeks. In terms of direct competition, there’s nothing really on the horizon for a couple of weeks. Also, given that Halloween is just around the corner, the demand to see it should be considerable as we progress through the month. It’s not going to be a runaway commercial smash by the time it’s all said and done, but Goosebumps should be a nice little hit for Sony (who desperately needs one); the production budget is a modest $58 million.Two-time reigning champ The Martian slid to second this week, adding $21.5 million. Ridley Scott’s latest continues to rake in the cash, and its domestic total is now up to $143.7 million.Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies (read our review) opened in third place, grossing $15.3 million in its first weekend. That figure may seem a bit low for a Spielberg-Tom Hanks collaboration, but this was never expected to be a film that had mass appeal. Still, it’s a respectable start for the Cold War drama, and given that word-of-mouth has largely been good (not to mention, the early Oscar buzz it has been generating), older audiences should continue to support it over the next couple of weeks. Bridge of Spieswon’t go down as one of Spielberg’s top earners, but it should do fine for itself throughout its domestic run.