Skip to main content

Labor Day weekend box office ends summer movie season with a whimper

This year’s Labor Day weekend box office is sending the summer movie season out on a low note.

Following on the heels of last week’s worst box-office weekend since 2001, the four-day holiday weekend didn’t do much to turn things around in theaters. Although action-comedy The Hitman’s Bodyguard became the summer’s only film to top the box-office charts three weeks in a row, it did so amid some of the lowest ticket sales in decades for the season.

Recommended Videos

Industry estimates indicate that the final tally for the four-day weekend will likely end up around $95.5 million in U.S. theaters — the first time since 1998 that the holiday weekend generated less than $100 million in domestic ticket sales. The low numbers certainly weren’t helped by the fact that this was the first Labor Day weekend in 25 years not to have a major new release premiere in theaters.

# Title 4-Day Weekend U.S. Total Worldwide Total
1.  The Hitman’s Bodyguard $13.3M $58M  $58M
2. Annabelle: Creation $9.3M $90.9M $255.3M
3. Wind River $7.9M $20.3M $20.3M
4. Leap! $6.5M $13M $96.1M
5. Logan Lucky $5.6M $22.6M $25.8M
6. Dunkirk $5.6M $180.2M $460.2M
7. Spider-Man: Homecoming $4.7M $325.1M $747.2M
8. The Emoji Movie $3.3M $81.2M $160.4M
9. Despicable Me 3 $3.3M $258.8M $994.9M
10. The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature  $2.9M $26.7M $29.5M

The bad news for Hollywood coming out of this year’s summer movie season doesn’t stop there, though, as this will likely be the first time since 2006 that the slate of summer movies failed to make more than $4 billion domestically. In the end, even the box-office success of top summer movies Wonder WomanGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Despicable Me 3 wasn’t enough to counter some of the season’s biggest flops, chief among them King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Still, the news wasn’t all bad for some films.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard certainly took advantage of the weak slate of offerings to the tune of $58 million over three weekends. The R-rated comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel Jackson was made for just $30 million, so studio Lionsgate is probably quite happy about that performance.

The fourth weekend for horror prequel film Annabelle: Creation also put it past the total gross for its 2014 predecessor, Annabelle, so it was a good week for that particular release, too.

Basically, it was a weekend for many of films that premiered over the last three weeks to tack a bit more on their theatrical runs without much — if any — competition for audiences, and many of the stronger films took advantage of that environment.

The only other noteworthy aspect of the Labor Day weekend was the release of the pilot episode for Marvel’s Inhumans television in theaters for a limited weekend runInhumans ended up raking in approximately $1.5 million across 393 IMAX theaters, which isn’t too shabby for a series that had a relatively lukewarm reception from fans of Marvel’s properties in the weeks leading up to the theatrical event.

Although the summer movie season is officially over, the box-office numbers are expected to get back on track this week with the release of Stephen King adaptation It in theaters. The film, which is the first of a two-part adaptation of King’s novel, has received positive reviews from critics so far and appears to be reaping the benefits from a strong marketing campaign leading up to its release. It’s also the biggest release for the weekend, which should work to its advantage.

Rick Marshall
Former Contributing Editor, Entertainment
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
The Old Guard 2 cast chooses iconic movie moments to witness for the first time
A group of soldiers stand in the dirt in The Old Guard 2.

Internet culture in the Digital Age moves at the snap of a finger. Thanks to the social media algorithm, what's popular today might not be talked about tomorrow. Five years feels like a lifetime. That's how long it's been since The Old Guard premiered on Netflix. It's fitting that a follow-up to a movie about a team of immortals would take its time before hitting the service. Mortals, rejoice. The wait is over. The Old Guard 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.

Charlize Theron returns for the action-packed sequel as Andy, the leader of a team of immortal mercenaries who serve as protectors of the world. The team consists of immortals Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli), along with a mortal, James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Speaking of finite creatures, Andy now copes with her mortality, which affects every decision, knowing she can finally die. Andy and her team will be tested with the arrival of Discord (Uma Thurman), the very first immortal with a sinister plan that threatens the universe. To defeat Discord, Andy seeks the help of an old friend, Tuah (Henry Golding), who may hold the secrets of immortality.

Read more
Want to watch Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey teaser trailer? Here’s what you need to know
Matt Damon stares with a helmet on.

The most anticipated movie of 2026 is not up for debate. Apologies to fans of Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Messiah, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but those movies pale in comparison to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

For his follow-up to Oppenheimer, Nolan is adapting Homer's Greek epic poem about the legend of Odysseus. The Odyssey is in production and well over a year away from hitting theaters. The first teaser trailer has been released. However, there is a catch.

Read more
Jurassic World Rebirth review: A fun but all-too familiar blockbuster
Jurassic World Rebirth: a sequel that brings some life back to an exhausted franchise
A man and woman hide in a field and stare curiously in "Jurassic World Rebirth."

Director Gareth Edwards (The Creator) has brought audiences back to the land of dinosaurs with his film, Jurassic World Rebirth. This standalone sequel to Jurassic World Dominion follows a team of hired operatives as they journey to an island inhabited by mutant dinosaurs, which were left behind by Jurassic World researchers, and try to gather enough dino-DNA to generate a cure for heart disease.

The Jurassic Park franchise is struggling to keep things fresh and engaging. Clearly, the filmmakers knew this fact during the production of Jurassic World Rebirth. This sequel falls short of expectations with its familiar story elements, some thin characters, and a clunky script. Nevertheless, Jurassic World Rebirth still provides some entertainment, featuring some terrific new players, exhilarating action scenes, terrifying suspense, and outstanding visuals. This movie is far from the best in the Jurassic Park saga, but it's a decent blockbuster nonetheless.

Read more