SUNDAY AM Writethru: After Saturday AM update… A pretty anemic Labor Day box office, which will get the summer box office to $3.67 billion in updated ComScore figures, which is -0.2% with last summer’s $3.677 billion.
We’ll get into the hows and the ways of summer later, but May was the only month that was up this year over last May, +76%, while June, July and August were down (all three months totaled at $2.68 billion, -13% a year ago). There was this heavy pressure out there for the marketplace to deliver a $4 billion-plus May-Labor Day total, a figure which was constant for the summer domestic box office since 2012 except for 2017, the pandemic 2020, recovery 2021, 2022, 2024 and now this year. Interesting to note that this summer was ahead of 2022’s $3.4 billion, but behind 2017’s $3.85 billion (when the top movie was Wonder Woman).
As of right now, 2025 remains ahead of the 2024 box office by +4%, with a running cume for Jan. 1-Aug. 30 of $5.99 billion, however, watch September put us behind sans a Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
Warner Bros.’ Weapons kids remain the ‘it’ click as the Zach Cregger-directed movie is coming in at $12.4M over four days in a Labor Day marketplace that stands at $83M per Comscore, -25% from a year ago. Last Labor Day was powered by great summer holdovers in Deadpool & Wolverine ($19.5M 6th weekend), Alien Romulus ($11.6M third weekend), and a heartland play with the Dennis Quad indie Reagan ($10.3M opening). We’re not seeing the worst Labor Day weekend this year post pandemic; 2022 was with $71.1M for all titles per Box Office Mojo.
This year, studios have gone back to their indie film dumping ground ways over summer finales — movies which aren’t good enough for the film festivals or awards season, but sort of transmit the message to upscale audiences that serious fare is coming. The studios have done it for years. The one Labor Day theatrical exception off the top of my head which actually made serious roads into the awards season space (and a Venice Film Festival debut after its domestic release) was 2005’s The Constant Gardener, which was nominated for four Oscars, and won Best Supporting Actress for Rachel Weisz. That pic posted a $10.96M 4-day in a marketplace that was impacted by Hurricane Katrina on its way to a $33.5M final domestic.
This year, we have in second place, Universal’s 50th re-release of Jaws which is eyeing a $9.8M 4-day after a $3.08M Friday. Some see Jaws at $10M over 4-days. Imax was a big deal here delivering $2.2M of the weekend or 21% from 400 screens. Re-releases are also par for the course over Labor Day weekend, a frame that studios still don’t take seriously with mega-tentpole fare, even though Disney proved the holiday worked in 2021 with Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi (the best Labor Day opening ever at $94.6M). This 4-day re-release opening for Jaws has more teeth than Sony’s 40th re-release of Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of Third Kind which posted a $2.2M 4-day at 901 sites and Uni’s 40th re-release of E.T. back in 2022 which only did $1M at 389 locations.
Sony’s Caught Stealing is sitting right under its $10M projection with $9.5M and a $3.3M Friday and $2.35M Saturday. Though made as responsibly as possible at $40M net production tax credits, with co-financing from TSG and Tarak Ben Ammer, the result isn’t anything to wave pom poms over. It’s a pity, particularly at a time when many in the industry and even in tracking are yelling for more original fare. Here’s arguably one (though based on Charlie Huston’s 2004 novel) with a great auteur like Darren Aronofsky behind the camera and a burgeoning star in Austin Butler. But despite the comedy caper’s fun twists and turns, the audience response is tepid at a B CinemaScore. Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak audiences were a little bit higher on the film with a 60% definite recommend. In a streaming world, audiences have seen this crime genre all before. It’s not a protected big screen genre like horror is. Aronofsky reportedly saw the project as commercial, yet it’s lighter in gravitas than his previous movies like Black Swan and The Wrestler. Thirty-six percent of the audience went for Butler, while 25% went for Aronofsky.
It was evident in the presales that Caught Stealing was a NYC and LA market movie. AMC Burbank has the best gross so far stateside with just over $31K through Friday. Some PLFs are repping 22% of the weekend. Overall men at 57% but the breakdown is 39% men over 25, 29% women over 25, 18% men under 25 and 13% women under 25. The 18-34 demo repped 65% of attendance.
Searchlight’s The Roses with a B+ CinemaScore, 52% definite PostTrak recommend, and a $8M 4-day — no one was asking for a button-upped redo of War of the Roses, and this one is nowhere near as drag down, crash, bang boom punk rock as the original Danny DeVito-directed movie starring himself, as well as Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. You can see it in the trailer. Unadjusted for inflation, the original War of the Roses in 1989 opened to $9.4M and did a crazy 9.2x multiple for a final domestic of $86.8M. Funny enough, the few who watched Roses here liked it a bit better than War of the Roses which received a B back in the day.
Mostly women here at 57% overall with 46% of the audience over the age of 45. Women over 25 were 51%, men over 25 were 35% with men under 25 trailing at 8% and women under 25 too at 6%.
Some PLFs are driving 15% of the weekend. Overall soft results with South, Mountain and the West the best of the markets. AMC Lincoln Square has the most money for the pic in North America with $21K through Friday.
Cineverse is still seeing their unrated Toxic Avenger (which is no Terrifier 3 by the way) with a $2.2M 4-day at 1,995 theaters. If it’s lucky, it will rank 10th. Good Rotten Tomatoes critical score at 83% certified fresh and 86% audience rating. No premium screens here, and it’s playing soft throughout the nation, but most non-toxic in the Mountain and West. AMC’s Burbank theater is the highest grossing location so far with just over $7K. The pic didn’t register in PostTrak exits.
Imax has the Prince 1987 concert movie Sign O’ the Times playing at 377 sites with OK ticket sales in LA, NYC, San Francisco, Atlanta, Sacramento, Minnesota and Chicago for what’s the large format exhibitor is reporting as a $1.5M 4-day.
Shoutout to Greenwich Entertainment’s Love, Brooklyn starring André Holland which posted $49K for the 3-day and $55K for the 4-day with an exclusive play at the Angelika Film Center in New York City. Several sellout shows and a single impressive opening theater average for the year. The movie played at Sundance. Love, Brooklyn will expand to approximately 100 theaters nationwide on September 5 with additional theaters to follow. The Rachel Holder directed movie follows three longtime Brooklynites who navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city. Critics are 68% fresh on RT.
Chart updated with Sunday figures in bold:
1. Weapons (NL) 3,416 (-215) theaters, Fri $2.7M (-43%) Sat $3.85M Sun $3.66M Mon $2.2M, 3-day $10.2M (-34%), 4-day $12.4M Total $134.6M/Wk 4
2. Jaws (Uni) 3,200 theaters Fri $3.1M, Sat $2.58M Sun $2.4M Mon $1.7M 3-day $8.1M, 4-day $9.8M/Total $283.4M/Wk 1
3. Caught Stealing (Sony) 3,578 theaters, Fri $3.3M Sat $2.35M Sun $2.1M Mon $1.6M 3-day $7.825M, 4-day $9.5M/Wk 1
4. Freakier Friday (Dis) 3,475 (-200) theaters, Fri $1.7M (-37%) Sat $2.5M Sun $2.32M Mon $1.77M 3-day $6.52M (-25%), 4-day $8.3M Total $82.2M/Wk 4
5. Roses (Sea) 2,700 theaters, Fri $2.4M Sat $1.95M Sun $2M Mon $1.65M 3-day $6.3M 4-day $8M /Wk 1
6. Bad Guys 2 (Uni) 3,024 (-264) theaters, Fri $1M (-21%) Sat $1.87M Sun $1.83M Mon $1.6M 3-day $4.74M (-7%), 4-day $6.35M Total $74.66M/Wk 5
7. Fantastic Four: First Steps (Dis) 2,785 (-405) theaters Fri $1.1M (-32%) Sat $1.9M Sun $1.8M Mon $1.2M 3-day $4.8M (-21%), 4-day $6M Total $265.8M/Wk 6
8. Superman (WB) 1,824 (-514) theaters, Fri $585K (-39%) Sat $1M Sun $1M Mon $700K 3-day $2.58M (-24%), 4-day $3.28M Total $351.7M/Wk 8
9. Nobody 2 (Uni) 2,502 (-780) theaters, Fri $470K (-55%) Sat $700K Sun $660K Mon $470K 3-day $1.83M (-51%), 4-day $2.3M, Total $20.5M/Wk 3
10. The Naked Gun (Par) 1,744 (-1032) theaters, Fri $460K (-49%) Sat $690K Sun $650K Mon $450K, 3-day $1.8M (-40%), 4-day $2.25M Total $51.2M/Wk 5
11. Toxic Avenger (Cine) 1,995 theaters, Fri $755K (includes previews), Sat $506K Sun $495K Mon $445K 3-day $1.75M 4-day $2.2M/Wk 1
Notables:
Honey Don’t (Foc) 1,317 theaters, Fri $270K (-81%), 3-day $1M (-67%), 4-day $1.2M, Total $5.4M /Wk 2
Relay (BST) 1,218 (-265) theaters, Fri $100K, 3-day $380K (-80%), 4-day $417K, Total $2.98M/Wk 2
FRIDAY AFTERNOON: New Line/Warner Bros’ Weapons can claim its third No. 1 weekend, though in its fourth frame, with a 4-day of $12M-$13M at 3,416 theaters, sending its running stateside cume to $135M by Monday. Weapons soon will topple the running domestic take of the original The Conjuring ($137.4M in 2013), and it’s already past 2016’s The Conjuring 2 ($102.5M) and 2018’s The Nun ($117.4M). New Line’s feature take on Stephen King’s It ($328.8M) remains both the studio’s and the industry’s highest-grossing horror movie at the domestic box office.
Universal’s 50th anniversary release of Jaws is second at 3,200 sites with a Friday of $3.1M and a 4-day of $9.7M. That will put the lifetime running total on the 1975 Steven Spielberg film that started the tentpole era at $276.9M by Monday.
Sony’s Darren Aronofsky-directed Caught Stealing is seeing a Friday, including previews, of around $3.3M and a 4-day between $8M-$9M at 3,578 sites. The 3-day could potentially inch out the start of Aronofsky’s gonzo horror movie Mother! which opened to $7.5M back in pre-Covid 2017, and that was with a rare F CinemaScore.
Disney’s fourth weekend of Freakier Friday will see $8M over Friday-Monday at 3,475 after a $1.6M Friday and running total near $82M by EOD Monday.
Searchlight’s The Roses at 2,700 sites is seeing $2.2M today, including previews, for a fifth-place take around $7M+.
Heading into this weekend, per ComScore, the summer box office from first Friday in May until Thursday before Labor Day frame is $3.568 billion, even with last year. However, this Labor Day weekend will come up lighter than last year’s 4-day take of $110.2M with an estimated $75M. This will bring summer 2025 in at $3.643 billion, which when rounded is down 1% from last year’s $3.67B.
FRIDAY AM: Summer’s finale is getting underway with four wide releases: Sony’s Darren Aronofsky-directed comedy caper Caught Stealing; Searchlight’s remake of The War of the Roses, entitled The Roses; Universal’s 50th anniversary re-release of Jaws; and Iconic Events’ reboot of The Toxic Avenger. At this point, none is expected to topple New Line’s Weapons, which will pop back up to No. 1 after Netflix’s theatrical flirt with last weekend’s box office; the Zach Cregger-directed movie is eyeing a fourth weekend of $11M-$12M over 4 days.
Caught Stealing did $1.2M in both 4 p.m. Thursday previews and last weekend’s sneaks. The movie starring Austin Butler and Zoe Kravitz is expected to do north of $10M+ in four days at 3,578 sites. That preview figure is on par with such movies as House of Gucci ($1.3M which did a 3-day over Thanksgiving during post-Covid 2021 of $14.4M) and August pre-Covid 2016’s War Dogs ($1.25M previews, for a $14.6M opening). The Aronofsky-directed title cost $40 million net after New York City film tax incentives. Great reviews and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes with 87% and 86%, respectively. Wouldn’t be shocked if it steals No. 1.
Universal’s 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is expected to do $5M over the Friday-to-Monday period at 3,200 sites including PLFs and Imax. The shark bit off $950K in previews last night, I hear.
The Roses grossed $800K in total previews box office, including limited early-access shows on Wednesday. The Jay Roach-directed, Tony McNamara-adapted redo of the Warren Adler novel, which also was the source material for the 1989 movie directed by Danny DeVito and written by David Mamet, is looking at $7M-$8M over 4 days. It’s booked at 2,700 locations. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, the title has bad reviews at 63% and a ho-hum audience score of 76%. Comps here for this title aimed at upscale older audiences are Black Bag at $850K which did a $7.6M opening and The Menu which posted $1M previews before a $9M opening.
We’re waiting on Toxic Avenger‘s numbers…
Rest of week’s top 5:
1) Weapons (NL/WB) 3,631 theaters, Thu $1.3M (-8% from Wed), Week $21.9M (-40%), Total $122.8M/Wk 3
2) KPop Demon Hunters Singalong (Netflix) No weekday play, 2-day box office $19M/Wk 1
3) Freakier Friday (Dis) 3,675 theaters, Thu $755k (-3%), Wk $12.6M (-40%), Total $73.9M/Wk 3
4) Fantastic Four: The First Steps (Dis) 3,190 theaters, Thu $546K (+3%), Wk $8.5M (-35%), $259.8M/Wk 5
5) The Bad Guys 2 (Uni) 3,288 theaters, Thu $466K (+6%), Wk $7.2M (-36%), Total $68.3M/Wk 4
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