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John Carpenter’sHalloweendebuted on NBC Friday , October 30th1981 — the very nighttime that its subsequence was relinquish to theaters . Halloween 2was the number one film that weekend , and became a hit for Universal . However , it did nowhere near the business organisation expected , especially look at that the original was the highest grossing independent film at the time . Could the edited video debut ofHalloweenhave wound the box office of its eagerly - awaited follow - up ?
WhenNBCpurchased the rights toHalloweenfor itsFriday Night at the Moviesslot , the electronic internet censors bring down several edits . Since the picture was independent and had a modest budget , there were no alternate payoff made for a potential mesh showing . meshwork standards at the time were very different and a sum of 12 minutes were cut from a film just over 90 minutes long . so as to pad the film to fit its two hr fourth dimension expansion slot , Carpenter shot unexampled footage at the same time they were make the subsequence . This new television version was how a contemporaries of kids first experienced the film .
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These new scenes , just about 12 minutes entire , manage to slow the efficient tempo and , much to the dashing hopes of fans , contradict the original cut . When Carpenter wrote the sequel , again with original atomic number 27 - author Debra Hill , he did so reluctantly and with little passion behind it . In a moment of defeat , he decided to make the reference of Laurie Strode , played byJamie Lee Curtis , the babe of sociopath Michael Myers . In the original film , Myers sees the teenager from his base and , perhaps touch off by a memory of his sister , begins stalk her . Nowhere in the film is it suggested that they might be related . A fresh panorama , in the aftermath of Myers ’ escape from Smith ’s Grove , features the find of the word “ sister ” scribble on his door .
The TV Debut of Halloween Gave Its Sequel Competition Opening Weekend
WhileHalloweenhad already made its HBO launching and could be found on Media Home Entertainment VHS , both cable’s length and base telecasting platforms were still in their infancy . Many of the kids who had no admittance to those issue and had missed the theatrical showings of the repugnance striking were mad to finally see it on television . debut the same night asHalloween 2,the broadcast proved a big rating winner for NBC , though it failed to win its time slot againstDallas . Oddly , the net only send one commercial for the sequel , which was a miss opportunity for Universal to trumpet the premiere .
The vacation proper fell on the keep up evening , keeping many of the same interview occupied with party and john or treating festivities . Despite the direct competition , the Rick Rosenthal - directed subsequence unfold on 1,200 positive screens , pulling in $ 7.5 million at the box office . Though these were good numbers , peculiarly for a fall weekend in 1981 , they were on the low end of expectations for Universal . The original film had grossed over $ 50 million at that level and was still a popular statute title in second - run fun . Did the direct challenger from its predecessor , which had then been compromised by broadcast standards , soften the porta number ?
Halloween 2was the number one film at the boxwood business office for two weeks in a row and ended up grossing over $ 25 million . While it might appear to be a achiever on newspaper , given the fact that Carpenter himself take raw footage to bridge the originalHalloweenand the subsequence together , Universal open it so wide , its domestic 144 was underwhelming . While it is unmanageable to prove that the NBC programme cut into the numbers for the follow - up , it does appear that the timing of both first appearance had an affect on interview interest . With less hype and less screens , Universal’sAn American Werewolf in Londongrossed over $ 30 million just two month antecedently .
Next : Halloween 2 : Every departure Between The Theatrical & TV Cut
