The Labor Day weekend of this year seems to be heading towards a slow period, with the summer box office projected to total $3.6 billion according to Comscore. This disappointing performance can be attributed to a deliberate move by the studios to release fewer blockbuster movies this summer. Comparing this summer’s earnings to the previous year, the total is significantly lower, with summer 2023 raking in $4.09 billion. The absence of a Marvel movie in May, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which brought in $359 million last summer, is a major reason for this decline.
Shifting Release Dates for Movies
Sony made a strategic decision to move their R-rated Marvel movie, Kraven the Hunter, from the Labor Day weekend to December. This shift was done to take advantage of the year-end moviegoing period, where movies often enjoy a higher box office revenue. In place of Kraven the Hunter, Sony released the PG-13 movie Afraid, directed by Chris Weitz and starring John Cho. The film, which cost $12 million to make, generated $400k in previews and is estimated to earn around $5 million over the four-day weekend. Afraid tells the story of Curtis (played by Cho) and his family testing a cutting-edge home device called AIA, a digital family assistant with advanced capabilities to anticipate and fulfill their needs. The decision to change the title from They Listen to Afraid was made to emphasize the artificial intelligence (AI) aspect of the movie.
Disney/Marvel Studios will bring the summer season to a close with Deadpool & Wolverine, estimated to gross $12-14 million over the Labor Day weekend and secure its fifth No. 1 spot for this season. Despite its success, the movie is not expected to reach the $600 million mark domestically. The film is receiving support from Premium screens and will share the IMAX/PLF footprint with Alien: Romulus, allowing theaters to maximize the screening potential for both movies. Additionally, Inside Out 2 is making a return to over 2,600 theaters, continuing the Pixar Labor Day tradition. With a total gross of $647.2 million, it holds the title of the top-grossing movie of 2024’s summer season.
Showbiz Direct’s biopic Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid as the 40th President, premiered with $525k on its opening night. While the movie has a high 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics have given it a 25% rating. Another notable release is Bleecker Street’s psychological thriller Slingshot, featuring Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne, playing at 845 locations. The film follows a team of astronauts on a dangerous mission to Saturn’s moon Titan, with one crew member struggling to maintain his grip on reality. Ray Liotta stars in Lionsgate’s action thriller 1992, set during the L.A. uprising after the Rodney King verdict, with the film receiving a 70% approval rating from critics. Roadside Attractions presents City of Dreams, a movie addressing the hot-button topic of the border crisis, focusing on a young boy’s journey from Mexico to Los Angeles.
Overall, while some movies are expected to perform well over the Labor Day weekend, the summer box office numbers reflect a declining trend compared to previous years. The strategic reshuffling of release dates by studios and the lineup of movies in theaters this weekend provide a mix of genres and themes for audiences to choose from.