As we step into the dog days of summer, the Labor Day holiday weekend has proven to be a rather sluggish period for the box office. Surprisingly, a horror movie, now in its fourth weekend of release, took the top spot, while a classic blockbuster from 50 years ago outperformed two new entrants. The film "Weapons" reclaimed its crown in North America with a notable box office performance, generating $10.2 million over the traditional weekend and an estimated $12.4 million through Monday. To date, this thrilling movie has amassed an impressive $134.6 million domestically and $250 million globally, all from a modest budget of $38 million.
Directed by Zach Cregger, "Weapons" marks a significant success for Warner Bros., which began the year on shaky ground but has recently bounced back with a series of hits. This includes titles like the "Minecraft Movie", "Sinners", "Final Destination Bloodlines", "F1: The Movie" (distributed for Apple), and "Superman."
In second place, the 50th anniversary re-release of "Jaws" raked in $8.1 million from 3,200 theaters over the weekend, with an estimated $9.8 million through the holiday. The enduring popularity of this classic proves that the shark still has a bite. The film is widely regarded as the originator of the summer blockbuster phenomenon, leading studios to recognize the financial benefits of releasing films during the school vacation period and capitalizing on the merchandise potential of adventurous escapism.
Landing in third place is "Caught Stealing," a crime comedy directed by Darren Aronofsky and featuring stars Austin Butler and Zoe Kravitz. The film earned $7.8 million over the standard weekend and an estimated $9.5 million through the extended holiday. Despite positive reviews, boasting an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audience reception was lukewarm, reflected in a “B” grade from CinemaScore exit polls. Analyst David A. Gross from Franchise Entertainment Research remarked, “This opening is good-not-great,” highlighting the challenges faced by crime thrillers following a summer filled with major event films.
Fourth place went to Disney’s "Freakier Friday," the sequel to the beloved 2003 body-switching comedy. It grossed $6.5 million over the weekend and $8.3 million during the four-day holiday period. The film is on track to achieve over $80 million domestically and reach a global total of $130 million by Labor Day.
Meanwhile, "The Roses" debuted in fifth place, earning $6.4 million over the weekend and an estimated $8 million through Labor Day. Directed by Jay Roach and loosely inspired by the 1981 novel "The War of the Roses,” the film explores the behind-the-scenes turmoil of a seemingly perfect couple, featuring a talented cast including Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. Although critics gave it a less favorable 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences were more receptive, granting it a "B+" on CinemaScore. Gross commented on its soft debut, predicting that the film's quality cast might drive good ancillary business despite its familiar narrative.
Labor Day weekends are typically not known for drawing large crowds, so it comes as no surprise that this year’s earnings were among the weakest of 2024. The four-day weekend generated approximately $86 million, marking a 19% decline from last year's holiday, which was bolstered by Marvel’s billion-dollar sensation "Deadpool and Wolverine." Overall, the summer season wrapped up with domestic earnings of $3.67 billion, reflecting a slight decrease of 0.2% from 2024 and a more significant drop of 10.2% from 2023, as reported by Comscore. This downturn is disappointing for the industry, which had high hopes that this year’s lineup of sequels, spinoffs, and superhero adventures would propel ticket sales to the $4 billion mark. Looking ahead, let's hope for a stronger showing next summer.
