‘Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie’ Tops U.K., Ireland Box Office as ‘Black Phone 2’ Rings In at No. 2

Universal scored a double victory at the U.K. and Ireland box office this weekend, with “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” opening in first place at £1.9 million ($2.5 million), according to Comscore.

The big-screen debut of the popular preschool property proved a major draw for family audiences kicking off the October half-term period.

In second place, Universal’s horror sequel “The Black Phone 2” scared up $1.5 million, delivering another strong opening for the studio. Studiocanal’s Tourette’s syndrome drama “I Swear” held well in its second weekend with $1.2 million, lifting its total to $3.9 million.

Disney’s sci-fi film “Tron: Ares” followed close behind, earning $1.1 million for a cumulative $4.4 million, while Warner Bros.’ “One Battle After Another” added $1.06 million, pushing its total to $13 million.

Paramount’s “Roofman” opened in sixth position with $910,000. Lionsgate U.K.’s “Good Fortune” debuted in seventh with $410,000.

Universal’s “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” continued with another $310,000, taking its cumulative total to $23.5 million. Sony’s “After the Hunt” opened at No. 9 with $278,000. Kazoo Films’ animated feature “Night of the Zoopocalypse” rounded out the top 10 with $223,000 for a two-week total of $659,000.

Among upcoming releases, Disney leads the charge with “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White as the music legend. Trafalgar Releasing revisits Laika’s stop-motion favorite “ParaNorman” in a new remastered edition.

For anime fans, Sony Pictures “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc,” marking one of the week’s most anticipated genre releases. Paramount has “Regretting You,” a drama-romance directed by Josh Boone from a novel by “It Ends With Us” author Colleen Hoover and starring Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace, opening in more than 300 locations.

Independent titles include MetFilm Distribution’s “Hedda,” Nia DaCosta’s reinterpretation of the Ibsen classic led by Tessa Thompson, and Dogwoof’s “Love+War,” following photographer Lynsey Addario capturing the Ukraine war, alongside BFI’s reissue of Terence Davies’ “The House of Mirth.” Kaleidoscope Entertainment offers family audiences “A Tooth Fairy Tale,” a new animated comedy featuring Fran Drescher and Jon Lovitz.

Elsewhere, Park Circus celebrates the 20th anniversary of Neil Marshall’s cult horror “The Descent” with a 4K restoration screening in more than 100 cinemas. CinemaLive’s “Grow” adds to the weekend’s event programming, while the National Theatre brings “Mrs. Warren’s Profession – NT Live 2025” to select venues on Thursday.

South Asian releases “Godday Godday Chaa 2” from Zee Studios International and Yash Raj Films’ “Thamma,” are both timed to release during the Diwali festival. Tull Stories has one-day presentation, the horror “It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This,” and Trafalgar’s concert doc “Mitski: The Land.”

Kova Releasing’s dark comedy “Sketch” joins the slate alongside Altitude Film Distribution’s family animation “Pets On A Train.”