Four decades after the release of John Carpenter’s slasher classic, Universal released the latest film in the “Halloween” franchise this weekend with the hope that a resurgence in mainstream interest in horror and nostalgia for old scary movies would deliver a box-office smash. It worked.

“Halloween,” directed by David Gordon Green and featuring Jamie Lee Curtis in a much-anticipated return as the main character Laurie Strode, brought in about $77.5 million domestically, topping the box office in its opening weekend despite a modest budget of around $10 million. The results exceeded analysts’ expectations, which had initially fallen in the $60 million range, and the movie’s performance is especially notable given that October is typically a weak month for ticket sales — although this month, which has already seen “Venom” and “A Star is Born" breaking an October ticket-selling record, has proved surprisingly strong.

The new “Halloween,” the third movie with that title, comes from Blumhouse Productions and was cofinanced by Miramax. It still has a ways to go if it wants to reach the success of the original film, which made about $183.6 million domestically in today’s dollars during its time in theaters, according to Box Office Mojo, remaining the highest-grossing film in the franchise overall when adjusting for inflation.

“Halloween H20: 20 Years Later,” a 1998 sequel, made about $107.3 million in North America, adjusted for inflation, putting it in second place in the franchise; “Halloween II” (1981) is third, with $83.9 million.