MOVIERGOERS chose a horror movie over a romantic comedy to kick off October. Paramount's 'Smile' topped the North American box office with $22 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates on Sunday (Monday in Manila), leaving Billy Eichner's rom-com 'Bros' in the dust.

Universal's 'Bros' launched with an estimated $4.8 million to take fourth place behind 'Don't Worry Darling' ($7.3 million) and 'The Woman King' ($7 million). But opening weekends likely aren't the final word on either 'Bros' or 'Smile.' Horror movie audiences are generally frontloaded, dropping off steeply after the first weekend, while something like 'Bros,' which got great reviews and an A CinemaScore, suggesting strong word-of-mouth potential, is a movie that could continue finding audiences through the fall. It is not unusual for R-rated comedies to open modestly and catch on later.