Friday night was fright night for moviegoers as “Ouija” edged out “John Wick” for box-office dominance heading into the weekend.

The Universal Pictures horror film, loosely based on the board game with which players supposedly conjure the dead, drew pre-Halloween ticket sales of an estimated $8.3 million Friday. That’s about a third of the $25 million it’s expected to bring in through Sunday, according to people who’ve seen pre-release audience surveys.

“John Wick,” starring Keanu Reeves as a retired hit man, came in second Friday with an estimated $5.4 million, a better-than-expected start attributable in part to strong reviews. Writing for The Times, Robert Abele called the Lionsgate action film “a B movie made with A-student love for the relentless thrill of bodies in brutal motion.”

Last weekend’s No. 1, the Brad Pitt war flick “Fury,” dropped to third place on Friday with sales of $4.1 million, according to estimates at Box Office Mojo, while “Gone Girl,” last weekend’s runner-up, again trailed “Fury” at No. 4. David Fincher’s suspense film based on Gillian Flynn’s bestselling 2012 novel made an estimated $3.4 million to begin its fourth weekend in theaters.


Rounding out Friday’s top attractions, the Bill Murray comedy “St. Vincent” collected an estimated $2.5 million to land in fifth place.

Twitter: @mikaelwood