Hello, boils and ghouls! Enjoy our very special Halloween episode, a special treat for all of our devoted listeners. In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite Halloween movies and television specials, dive into a couple of new horror releases, and challenge ourselves with a Halloween-themed box office game. But this is no trick – we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming on Sunday, November 2nd!

Edited and produced by Aaron Bartuska.

"Spooky" Theme Music by Will DiNola.

Artwork by Mackenzie McCarron.

'Tron: Ares?' More like Tron: AIRBALL. 'The Smashing Machine?' More like The FLOPPING Machine. 'Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party Of A Showgirl?' More like Taylor Swift: The Official Cash Grab Of A Con-Artist! Our only two success stories this weekend are 'Good Boy' and 'Roofman,' which also happen to be very good films! Who woulda thought? Zach and Aaron discuss all of these titles and more on this week's episode of Box Office Bets. Stay tuned at the end for an analysis of this year's overall box office using the metric of how many movies have crossed the $100 million domestic mark.

This episode's schedule:

'Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl (5:08)

'Good Boy (15:40)

'The Smashing Machine' (23:24)

'Tron: Ares' (32:18)

'Roofman' (37:47)

Zach's Pick: 'As Above So Below' by John Erick Dowdle (45:25)

Box Office Analysis (53:04)

Bets (59:06)

Artwork by Mackenzie McCarron.

Theme Song by Will DiNola.

Edited and produced by Aaron Bartuska.

If you see one movie this year, make it Paul Thomas Anderson's new masterwork. In this week's episode, we talk about the best movie of the year and four others. Is 'Him' Jordan Peele's first fumble as a film producer? Does 'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey' earn its name? Who is Gabby and why do we care about her dollhouse? Who are The Strangers and why do they need a Chapter 2? All this and more in our newest episode where we presented ourselves with an interesting challenge: starting a one-hour timer at the top of the episode and releasing that hour of conversation unedited. Hopefully it's just as entertaining!

This episode's schedule:

'Him' (4:20)

'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey' (16:21)

World Series Side-bet (23:58)

'One Battle After Another' (25:33)

'The Strangers: Chapter 2' (43:02)

'Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie' (47:38)

Zach's Picks: 'Rush Hour 2' by Br*tt R*tner, 'The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special' by James Gunn and 'Werewolf by Night' by Michael Giacchino (49:17)

Bets (57:25)

Artwork by Mackenzie McCarron.

Theme Song by Will DiNola.

Edited and produced by Aaron Bartuska.

(Original Recording Date: September 20th, 2025)

If there were ever any doubts that the horror genre is more dominant than ever, the first week of September has put those to bed. This is only the second time horror has crossed a domestic total of one billion dollars in one calendar year -- and the earliest that milestone has been reached by nearly two months. On this episode, we discuss two of 2025's most significant horror offerings as well as three surprising movie-adjacent theatrical experiences that have garnered a collective $750 million at the worldwide box office.

We also forgot to talk about what we ate. Zach had Chick-Fil-A and Aaron had a Saquon Barkley hoagie from Wawa.

This episode's schedule:

'The Conjuring: Last Rites' (3:40)

'Hamilton,' 'Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Infinity Castle,' and 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale' (20:36)

'The Long Walk' (34:24)

Aaron's Picks: 'Signs/The Happening' by M. Night Shyamalan and 'War of the Worlds' by Rich Lee (48:49)

Bets (53:44)

Artwork by Mackenzie McCarron.

Theme Song by Will DiNola.

Edited and produced by Aaron Bartuska.

Despite technical difficulties and sleep deprivation, Zach and Aaron are back with the last episode of the summer movie season. We should have stopped and smelled The Roses earlier in the summer, because these late August options are Toxic and there are no Avengers-level releases to be found. The studios have been Caught Stealing our money and we Don't appreciate it, Honey. But, we Ne Zha II talk about all of our bets, so here we are! That last one was a bit of stretch. Maybe we should drop this whole "trying to fit the movie titles into the episode description" thing. We couldn't think of anything for Kpop Demon Hunters.

This episode's schedule:

'Honey, Don't' (11:38)

'Kpop Demon Hunters' (15:37)

'Caught Stealing' (24:00)

'The Toxic Avenger Unrated' (28:02)

Aaron's Pick: 'Hillbilly Elegy' by Ron Howard (33:39)

Zach's Pick: 'Blade' by Stephen Norrington (36:35)

Aaron's Pick: 'Barbarian' by Zach Cregger (39:01)

Bets (41:30)

Artwork by Mackenzie McCarron.

Theme Song by Will DiNola.

Edited and produced by Aaron Bartuska.

B.O.B. is back! And we've got plenty to cover. Eight movies, three weekends, and a whole lot more in what many our calling our sexiest episode to date. Summer is coming to a close, but 'Box Office Bets with Zach and Aaron' is here to stay.

This episode's schedule:

'Together' (13:16)

'Together' - SPOILERS (19:42)

'The Bad Guys 2' (20:52)

'The Naked Gun' (26:28)

'Sketch' and Angel Studios (33:41)

'Freakier Friday' (39:41)

'Weapons' (44:31)

'Nobody 2' (50:52)

'Highest 2 Lowest' (54:54)

'Americana' (59:51)

Aaron's Pick: 'Good Morning' by Yasujirō Ozu (1:02:28)

Bets (1:06:31)

Artwork by Mackenzie McCarron.

Theme Song by Will DiNola.

Edited and produced by Aaron Bartuska.

This week, the boys discuss one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps.'

Finally! A Marvel movie without any tie-ins or crossover characters! A focus on inventive visuals and a colorful palette! An honest attempt at portraying these beloved characters in a way that respects the original source material! It must be a home run, right? Right??

Tune in while Zach and Aaron debate whether this fourth go-around at the 'Fantastic Four' franchise was a fantastic success or a galactic failure.

This episode's schedule:

'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' (5:00)

'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' - SPOILERS (14:04)

Josh Trank's 'Fant4stic' (33:54)

Zach's Pick: 'Cocaine Bear' (39:58)

Bets (47:22)

Artwork by Mackenzie McCarron.

Theme Song by Will DiNola.

Edited and produced by Aaron Bartuska.

Our only multi-movie weekend of July resulted in underwhelming box office returns. But did it also result in underwhelming movies? First, we take a look at lega-sequel 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' our first theatrical visit to Southport, NC since the 90s. Then, we discuss Rihanna's triumphant return to the silver screen as Smurfette in 'Smurfs.' Finally, we analyze Ari Aster's polarizing 2020 western 'Eddington.'

Movies covered in this week's episode:

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' (1:40)

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' - SPOILERS (14:43)

'Smurfs' (19:10)

'Eddington' (30:24)

'Eddington' - SPOILERS (36:27)

The wait is over! 'Superman' is here! And he's from Philly! Join Zach and Aaron as they discuss James Gunn's first entry into his new DCU. Does Eagles fan David Corenswet deliver as Clark Kent? Does the film fall victim to the common trappings of the superhero genre? Has Aaron's superhero fatigue been cured? All of this and more in this week's episode.

Movies covered in this week's episode:

'Superman' (4:37)

'Superman' - SPOILERS (21:52)

On this week's episode, Zach and Aaron talk about the seventh film in the 'Jurassic Park' franchise, the fourth film in the 'Jurassic World' series, and the first film in a new alleged Pratt-less 'Jurassic' trilogy. If this all sounds like too much, that's because it is! But if there's one audiences love, it's dinosaurs. If there's another thing audiences love, it's paying to see the same thing over and over again! Stick around after our 'Rebirth' discussion for our official ranking of the 'Jurassic' films. Finally, we place bets on next weekend's 'Superman.'

Movies covered in this week's episode:

'Jurassic World Rebirth' (3:20)

'Jurassic World Rebirth' - SPOILERS (12:45)

The 'Jurassic Park' Franchise (18:27)

This week is all about vroom vroom and slay slay as our hosts discuss one of the year's biggest hits and one of its biggest flops. After Zach and Aaron take a look at F1 and M2, they dive deep into the results of Q1 and Q2. Is 2025 shaping up to be the best year at the box office since the pandemic?

Movies covered in this week's episode:

'F1' (9:22)

'M3GAN 2.0' (22:42)

Weekly episodes are back in style as Zach and Aaron brave the zombie apocalypse, an alien invasion and a Pitch Perfect wedding! On this episode of Box Office Bets -- or B.O.B. (if you nasty) -- we discuss '28 Years Later,' 'Elio,' and 'Bride Hard.' One film is great, one film is good, and the other is an abomination that should never have seen the light of day! You can guess which is which, or you can just listen!

We're not dead! Just got overwhelmed! But, like John Wick, we're thinkin' we're back -- getting into our weekly Ritual again, Schemin' like Phoenicians, livin' like Chuck, and talkin' about money like we're Materialists.

How To Train Your Dragon? More like How To Tank An Industry! If it makes a good profit, just put out the same exact movie again in 15 years! Why not? This is just a small taste of the crash out that Aaron has in this week's episode while Zach tries desperately to calm him down. We may have missed a week, but we haven't skipped a beat.

Wax on, wax off! Join the boys as they discuss the latest entry in the 'Karate Kid' franchise, as well as the newest A24 horror film from YouTubers turned directors Danny and Michael Philippou! Then, buckle up for nearly a half hour of Aaron trying to justify why he doesn't like television.

Join Zach and Aaron as they discuss the concept of death: the death of the theatrical screening window; the multiple deaths contained with the 'Final Destination' franchise; the constant death-defying stunts performed by Tom Cruise; the quick death of The Weeknd's acting career; the slow, excruciating death of an entire industry brought on by an endless slew of live-action remakes. We're getting deep this week, folks.

Did 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' satisfy all of our end-of-series expectations? Does 'Lilo & Stitch' stay faithful to its source material -- and should it have? Will Tim Robinson even want to be around anymore after the financial performance of 'Friendship?' Should you hurry up and see 'Hurry Up Tomorrow?' Will Aaron ever be able to go in a high-rise building again after seeing 'Final Destination: Bloodlines?' All this and more are answered in this week's episode of Box Office Bets.

Movies covered in this week's episode:

'Final Destination: Bloodlines' (13:48)

'Hurry Up Tomorrow' (27:48)

'Lilo & Stitch' (32:18)

'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' (43:15)

'Friendship' (54:58)

You know what's cooler than *The New Avengers? How about *A New Podcast! Zach and Aaron are aspiring movie critics who have grown tired of merely Surfing the depths of Letterboxd, living in the Shadows and making themselves look like Clowns. So take Flight with them as they embark on their first episode of Box Office Bets!

Join these handsome men as they discuss their first batch of summer box office bets for the weekends of May 2nd and 9th. They cover five wide releases from the first half of the month, while also laying some ground rules for how the podcast will run. Then, they place their bets for the next two weekends in May.

Movies covered in this week's episode:

'Thunderbolts*' (38:48)

'The Surfer' (49:44)

'Clown in a Cornfield' (53:22)

'Fight or Flight' (55:44)

'Shadow Force' (59:54)