None of the major studios elected to debut a film in wide release this Halloween weekend, ending what was already a quiet October box office on a down note. No feature is expected to even sniff a gross in the eight-digits this frame, which hasn’t happened since the debut of “Novocaine” back in March. Among the newcomers this weekend, Netflix has a second theatrical engagement of “ KPop Demon Hunters ” — this time with AMC Theatres, the world’s largest exhibitor chain, on board — while Focus Features is expanding its acclaimed conspiracy thriller “ Bugonia ” after a limited bow last weekend.

But first place looks to go to the third outing of Universal and Blumhouse’s horror film du jour “ Black Phone 2 ,” which earned $2.3 million on Friday and is projecting a third weekend gross o

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