It was a particularly terrifying Halloween for newcomers at the American box-office, as some high profile, star heavy films died on their arses.

The biggest casualty is Sandra Bullock/Billy Bob Thorton starrer, My Brand is Crisis, which had one of the lowest opening weekends in recorded history for a wide release. The political comedy/drama took $3.4 million finishing in seventh place.

Bradley Cooper didn't fare much better, with his passion project 'Burnt' also bombing; the chef flick barely cracked the top five with an estimated $5 million opening weekend. The actor is currently testing his A-list resolve, after both Aloha and Serena lost money - but there was the incredibly successful American Sniper in the middle. He'll next be seen in 'Joy' opposite frequent co-star Jennifer Lawrence.

It also wasn't good news for Robert Redford, as his newsroom drama 'Truth' failed to break the top ten, while heavily fancied awards contender 'Steve Jobs' dropped over 60% in its second week of wide release.

It is not a good time for mainstream, mid-budget 'adult' films right now. 

On the plus side, Matt Damon's 'The Martian' continues to top the charts and is now closing in on $200 million domestically. A nice lead in gross before Bourne returns in the summer.