I Did Not See How To Train Your Dragon’s Mason Thames Saving The Box Office This October

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This fall has been unusual for the movie industry. Between the frenzy around Taylor Swift concerts at AMC theaters, shifting release dates for horror sequels, and the quick rise and fall of anime films, October’s box office results have been all over the place. However, despite this chaos, one thing is clear: young actor Mason Thames has had a more successful month than many major film studios.

Mason Thames first gained recognition for his performance in The Black Phone, and he had a busy October this year. He reprised his role as Finney in Black Phone 2, which earned $8 million over Halloween weekend, bringing its total earnings to $61.5 million domestically and over $104 million worldwide. He also appeared in Regretting You, a film based on a Colleen Hoover novel, which earned $8.1 million domestically over the same weekend – just slightly more than Black Phone 2, making it the weekend’s top-grossing film.

Box office numbers for Halloween weekend are unusually low, according to Eric Eisenberg at TopMob. Many people are focused on Halloween activities like costumes and trick-or-treating, plus the final game of the World Series. Given these distractions, any film performing well is doing a great job. And a couple of movies are really standing out as clear winners this weekend.

Not only did Thames achieve a remarkable one-two success in October, but he also starred in the 2025 live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. At just 18 years old, he’s quickly establishing himself as a highly skilled actor, taking on roles in horror, fantasy, and young adult dramas. Could he be the most adaptable leading man of his generation?

Despite their differences, these films both attracted dedicated fans. Horror enthusiasts eagerly watched the continuation of the story with Finney and The Grabber, while fans of Hoover’s books were excited to see her latest work adapted for the screen. Both groups ended up discovering something new: the talent of Mason Thames.

October felt like it belonged to actor Thames, not to any big movie company or even a pop star like Taylor Swift. He captured the month with his ability to play complex, thoughtful characters. While the busy fall movie season is ending and we look ahead to 2026, Thames might take a break, but he’s clearly destined for big things and we’ll likely be seeing a lot more of him soon.

You can now see both Black Phone 2 and Regretting You in movie theaters – check local listings for showtimes. And if you’re looking for Thames’ other major release, How to Train Your Dragon, it’s currently streaming on Peacock.

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2025-11-03 22:40