{"id":187628,"date":"2025-08-30T17:01:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T17:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/187628\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T17:01:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T17:01:12","slug":"weapons-winning-labor-day-weekend-summer-2025-ends-with-3-6b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/187628\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Weapons’ Winning Labor Day Weekend, Summer 2025 Ends With $3.6B"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSATURDAY AM:<\/strong> Warner Bros.\u2019 Weapons<\/a> kids are still the \u2018it\u2019 click as the Zach Cregger directed movie is still eyeing a $12M+<\/strong> 4-day take over Labor Day weekend in what is a rather lackluster holiday frame at an estimated $84.2M<\/strong>, -24% from a year ago, which 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). That\u2019s not the worst Labor Day weekend at the box office post pandemic, by the way; 2022 was with $71.1M for all titles per Box Office Mojo. <\/p>\n

\n\tThis year studios have gone back to their indie film dumping ground ways over summer finale\u2019s \u2014 movies which aren\u2019t 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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

\n\tThis year we have in second place, Universal\u2019s 50th re-release of Jaws<\/a><\/strong> which is eyeing a $9.7M <\/strong>4-day after a $3.08M Friday. Re-releases are also par for the course over Labor Day weekend, a frame that studios still don\u2019t take seriously with mega-tentpole fare even though Disney proved the holiday could work in 2021 with Marvel Studios\u2019 Shang-Chi (the best Labor Day opening ever at $94.6M). This 4-day re-release opening has more bite than Sony\u2019s 40th re-release of Steven Spielberg\u2019s Close Encounters of Third Kind which posted a $2.2M 4-day at 901 sites and Uni\u2019s 40th re-release of E.T. back in 2022 which only did $1M at 389 locations. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Austin<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAustin Butler in \u2018Caught Stealing<\/a>\u2018<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSony Pictures<\/p>\n

\n\tSony\u2019s Caught Stealing <\/strong>is sitting right under its $10M projection with $9.5M<\/strong> and a $3.2M<\/strong> Friday. Though made as responsibly as possible at $40M net production tax credits, with co-financing from TSG and Tarak Ben Ammer, the result isn\u2019t anything to wave pom poms over. It\u2019s a pity, particularly at a time when many in the industry and even in tracking are yelling for more original fare. Here\u2019s arguably one (though based on Charlie Huston\u2019s 2004 novel) with a great auteur like Darren Aronofsky behind the camera and a burgeoning star in Austin Butler. But despite the comedy caper\u2019s 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\u2019s not a protected big screen genre, like horror is. Aronofsky reportedly saw the project as commercial, yet it\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

\n\tIt 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. 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. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"'The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSearchlight Pictures<\/p>\n

\n\tSearchlight\u2019s The Roses<\/a><\/strong> with a B+ CinemaScore, 52% definite PostTrak recommend, and a $7.35M<\/strong> 4-day \u2014 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. <\/p>\n

\n\tMostly 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%. <\/p>\n

\n\tSome 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. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Peter<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018The Toxic Avenger<\/a>\u2018<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCineverse<\/p>\n

\n\tThe unrated Toxic Avenger<\/strong> released by Cineverse, is no Terrifier 3 with only a $2.2M<\/strong> projected 4-day at 1,995 theaters. If it\u2019s lucky, it will rank 10th. Good Rotten Tomatoes critical score at 83% certified fresh and 86% audience rating. No premium screens here, and it\u2019s playing soft throughout the nation, but most non-toxic in the Mountain and West. AMC\u2019s Burbank theater is the highest grossing location so far with just over $7K. The pic didn\u2019t register in PostTrak exits. <\/p>\n

\n\tImax has the Prince 1987 concert movie Sign O\u2019 the Times<\/strong> playing at 377 sites with OK ticket sales in LA, NYC, San Francisco, Atlanta, Sacramento, Minnesota and Chicago for what\u2019s shaping up to be a $2M<\/strong> 4-day. <\/p>\n

\n\t1. Weapons (NL) 3,416 (-215) theaters, Fri $2.7M (-43%), 3-day $10.2M (-34%), 4-day $12M Total $134.1M\/Wk 4<\/p>\n

\n\t2. Jaws (Uni) 3,200 theaters Fri $3M, 3-day $8M, 4-day $9.7M\/Total $283.3M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

\n\t3. Caught Stealing (Sony) 3,578 theaters, Fri $3.2M 3-day $7.8M, 4-day $9.5M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

\n\t4. Freakier Friday (Dis) 3,475 (-200) theaters, Fri $1.7M (-37%), 3-day $6.7M (-24%), 4-day $8.7M Total $82.6M\/Wk 4<\/p>\n

\n\t5. Roses (Sea) 2,700 theaters, Fri $2.4M 3-day $6M 4-day $7.35M \/Wk 1<\/p>\n

\n\t6. Bad Guys 2 (Uni) 3,024 (-264) theaters, Fri $1M (-21%), 3-day $4.4M (-12%), 4-day $6M Total $74.3M\/Wk 5<\/p>\n

\n\t6. Fantastic Four: First Steps (Dis) 2,785 (-405) theaters Fri $1.1M (-32%) 3-day $4.8M (-21%), 4-day $6M Total $265.8M\/Wk 6<\/p>\n

\n\t8. Superman (WB) 1,824 (-514) theaters, Fri $585K (-39%), 3-day $2.3M (-32%), 4-day $3M Total $351.4M\/Wk 8<\/p>\n

\n\t9. Nobody 2 (Uni) 2,502 (-780) theaters, Fri $460K (-56%), 3-day $1.82M (-51%), 4-day $2.3M, Total $20.5M\/Wk 3<\/p>\n

\n\t10. Toxic Avenger (Cine) 1,995 theaters, Fri $755K, 3-day $1.5M 4-day $2.2M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

\n\t10. The Naked Gun (Par) 1,744 (-1032) theaters, Fri $450K (-50%), 3-day $1.76M (-41%), 4-day $2.2M Total $51.2M\/Wk 5<\/p>\n

\n\tNotables:<\/p>\n

\n\tHoney Don\u2019t (Foc) 1,317 theaters, Fri $270K (-81%), 3-day $1M (-67%), 4-day $1.3M, Total $5.4M \/Wk 2<\/p>\n

\n\tRelay (BST) 1,218 (-265) theaters, Fri $100K, 3-day $380K (-80%), 4-day $505K, Total $3M\/Wk 2<\/p>\n

\n\tFRIDAY AFTERNOON:<\/strong> New Line\/Warner Bros\u2019 Weapons<\/strong> can claim its third No. 1 weekend, though in its fourth frame, with a 4-day of $12M-$13M<\/strong> at 3,416 theaters, sending its running stateside cume to $135M<\/strong> by Monday. Weapons soon will topple the running domestic take of the original The Conjuring ($137.4M in 2013), and it\u2019s already past 2016\u2019s The Conjuring 2 ($102.5M) and 2018\u2019s The Nun ($117.4M). New Line\u2019s feature take on Stephen King\u2019s It ($328.8M) remains both the studio\u2019s and the industry\u2019s highest-grossing horror movie at the domestic box office.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"L-R:<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom left: \u2018Weapons,\u2019 Austin Butler in \u2018Caught Stealing,\u2019 Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch in \u2018The Roses,\u2019 Roy Schneider in \u2018Jaws\u2019 and Peter Dinklage in \u2018The Toxic Avenger\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWarner Bros\/Everett\/Cineverse<\/p>\n

\n\tUniversal\u2019s 50th anniversary release of Jaws <\/strong>is second at 3,200 sites with a Friday of $3.1M and a 4-day of $9.7M<\/strong>. That will put the lifetime running total on the 1975 Steven Spielberg film that started the tentpole era at $276.9M<\/strong> by Monday.<\/p>\n

\n\tSony\u2019s Darren Aronofsky-directed Caught Stealing<\/strong> is seeing a Friday, including previews, of around $3.3M and a 4-day between $8M-$9M<\/strong> at 3,578 sites. The 3-day could potentially inch out the start of Aronofsky\u2019s gonzo horror movie Mother! which opened to $7.5M back in pre-Covid 2017, and that was with a rare F CinemaScore.<\/p>\n

\n\tDisney\u2019s fourth weekend of Freakier Friday <\/strong>will see $8M<\/strong> over Friday-Monday at 3,475 after a $1.6M Friday and running total near $82M<\/strong> by EOD Monday. <\/p>\n

\n\tSearchlight\u2019s The Roses<\/strong> at 2,700 sites is seeing $2.2M today, including previews, for a fifth-place take around $7M+<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n\tHeading into this weekend, per ComScore, the summer box office from first Friday in May until Thursday before Labor Day frame is $3.568<\/strong> billion<\/strong>, even with last year. However, this Labor Day weekend will come up lighter than last year\u2019s 4-day take of $110.2M with an estimated $75M<\/strong>. This will bring summer 2025 in at $3.643 billion<\/strong>, which when rounded is down 1% from last year\u2019s $3.67B.<\/p>\n

\n\tFRIDAY AM: <\/strong>Summer\u2019s finale is getting underway with four wide releases: Sony\u2019s Darren Aronofsky-directed comedy caper Caught Stealing; Searchlight\u2019s remake of The War of the Roses, entitled The Roses; Universal\u2019s 50th anniversary re-release of Jaws; and Iconic Events\u2019 reboot of The Toxic Avenger. At this point, none is expected to topple New Line\u2019s Weapons, which will pop back up to No. 1 after Netflix\u2019s theatrical flirt<\/a> with last weekend\u2019s box office; the Zach Cregger-directed movie is eyeing a fourth weekend of $11M-$12M <\/strong>over 4 days.<\/p>\n

\n\tCaught Stealing did $1.2M<\/strong> in both 4 p.m. Thursday previews and last weekend\u2019s sneaks. The movie starring Austin Butler and Zoe Kravitz is expected to do north of $10M+<\/strong> 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\u2019s 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\u2019t be shocked if it steals No. 1.<\/p>\n

\n\tUniversal\u2019s 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg\u2019s Jaws<\/strong> is expected to do $5M<\/strong> over the Friday-to-Monday period at 3,200 sites including PLFs and Imax. The shark bit off $950K<\/strong> in previews last night, I hear.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Roses<\/strong> grossed\u00a0$800K<\/strong>\u00a0in total previews box office,\u00a0including limited early-access shows on Wednesday.\u00a0The 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<\/strong> over 4 days. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe\u2019re waiting on Toxic Avenger\u2018s numbers\u2026<\/p>\n

\n\tRest of week\u2019s top 5:<\/p>\n

\n\t1) Weapons (NL\/WB) 3,631 theaters, Thu $1.3M (-8% from Wed), Week $21.9M (-40%), Total $122.8M\/Wk 3<\/p>\n

\n\t2) KPop Demon Hunters Singalong (Netflix) No weekday play, 2-day box office $19M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

\n\t3) Freakier Friday (Dis) 3,675 theaters, Thu $755k (-3%), Wk $12.6M (-40%), Total $73.9M\/Wk 3<\/p>\n

\n\t4) Fantastic Four: The First Steps (Dis) 3,190 theaters, Thu $546K (+3%), Wk $8.5M (-35%), $259.8M\/Wk 5<\/p>\n

\n\t5) The Bad Guys 2 (Uni) 3,288 theaters, Thu $466K (+6%), Wk $7.2M (-36%), Total $68.3M\/Wk 4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SATURDAY AM: Warner Bros.\u2019 Weapons kids are still the \u2018it\u2019 click as the Zach Cregger directed movie is…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":187629,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[75679,171,2406,53,105092,105093,67,132,68,9826],"class_list":{"0":"post-187628","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-caught-stealing","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-jaws","11":"tag-movies","12":"tag-the-roses","13":"tag-toxic-avenger","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-weapons"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115118793761552497","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}