Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end to the summer moviegoing season. This year, the four-month period from the first weekend of May through the first weekend of September generated $3.67 billion in domestic box office revenue. While that figure is off 10% from the same period in 2023, it was much higher than most had expected as of Memorial Day at the end of May.
The first month of the summer season includes several disappointing major studio releases, culminating in the underperformance of FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA which led to May’s grosses being down 26% from last year. Many analysts and media outlets were expressing alarm about the health of the theatrical industry.
However, the box office began to turn around in June with a long list of pleasant surprises. While INSIDE OUT 2 (June 14th release) and DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (July 26th release) were the most talked about successes, the season overall was supported by mid-sized titles of various genres, including BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE (June 7th release, $194M to-date), DESPICABLE ME 4 (July 3rd release, $356M to-date), LONGLEGS (July 12th release, $74M to-date), TWISTERS (July 19th release, $263M to-date), IT ENDS WITH US (August 9th release, $139M to-date), ALIEN: ROMULUS (August 16th release, $94M to-date) all overperformed their pre-release expectations and kept theatres busy in between the mega-blockbusters.
Even with a few high-profile flops such as HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA and BORDERLANDS, the overall market made up significant ground from where it stood after Memorial Day weekend. August 2024 ended up producing the highest box office gross for that month since 2016, and 26% more than last year. And with the remainder of 2024 projected to perform well, theatres are poised to finish out the year on a positive note.
