Topline<\/p>\n
Movie theaters are having a rough end-of-summer period with a lack of big blockbuster releases on the horizon, which is producing some of the lowest-grossing days at the theater in months as weeks-old movies like \u201cWeapons\u201d reign without serious competition. <\/p>\n
“Weapons” is still leading the box office three weeks after release without serious competition. (Photo by Gary Hershorn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
\u201cWeapons,\u201d \u201cFreakier Friday\u201d and \u201cFantastic Four: The First Steps\u201d are leading this week\u2019s box office\u2014but all of these movies are weeks old, as no new blockbuster releases have been able to breathe life into a struggling end-of-summer market.<\/p>\n
Every weekend in August has grossed less than the corresponding weekend from August 2024, Comscore box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Forbes, as recent movies like Ethan Coen\u2019s \u201cHoney Don\u2019t!\u201d and the Bob Odenkirk-starring \u201cNobody 2\u201d scored middling opening weekend debuts.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the top 10 movies at domestic theaters grossed under $5 million, according to Box Office Mojo, marking one of the worst days at the theater since March, when the box office similarly struggled amid a lack of smash hits.<\/p>\n
September and October may also be rough, Dergarabedian told Forbes, warning there may be a \u201cfew fallow weeks at the box office\u201d as the \u201cpost-summer corridor is looking a bit bereft of standout blockbusters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The box office will \u201chave to rely on the cumulative success of some expected mid-range performers,\u201d like \u201cThe Conjuring: Last Rites,\u201d which opens in theaters next week, and \u201cTron: Ares,\u201d a sequel to the 2010 film \u201cTron: Legacy\u201d that opens in October, Dergarabedian said.<\/p>\n
What To Watch For<\/p>\n
Whether \u201cThe Conjuring: Last Rites\u201d can revive the box office next weekend with a strong debut. Ticket seller Fandango<\/a> said Thursday the movie has sold more pre-sale tickets than any other horror movies in 2025 so far, and its ticket pre-sales top all other movies in the \u201cConjuring\u201d franchise. \u201cThe Conjuring\u201d movies are typically box office hits, and the last installment, 2023\u2019s \u201cThe Nun II,\u201d grossed $270 million worldwide<\/a>. <\/p>\n Will This Summer Surpass The Summer 2024 Box Office?<\/p>\n It seems so, but the race is much closer than analysts had expected. Earlier this summer, Dergarabedian said he would have expected the summer box office to surpass a milestone gross of $4 billion from early May through Labor Day, a figure that would\u2019ve put 2025 on par with the \u201cBarbenheimer\u201d-powered summer of 2023. But this summer\u2019s box office lost a significant early advantage it had built up after a strong performance in May, which was up 76% over May 2024, Dergarabedian said. Since mid-June, only one weekend at the box office has surpassed the corresponding weekend from summer 2024. The summer 2025 box office now stands just 0.2% above the summer 2024 gross from early May through Aug. 26, according to Dergarabedian, who now expects this summer to gross $3.7 billion in total, barely above last summer\u2019s $3.68 billion. Though the early summer was buoyed by hits like \u201cLilo & Stitch,\u201d \u201cJurassic World: Rebirth\u201d and \u201cSuperman,\u201d 2025 has lacked an end-of-summer blockbuster\u2014unlike last year, when the $1.3-billion grossing \u201cDeadpool & Wolverine\u201d ruled August.<\/p>\n Will The Box Office Recover Later This Year?<\/p>\n Dergarabedian told Forbes he expects November and December to be much better months for the box office. A bevy of sequels to successful films are due to open later this year, including \u201cWicked: For Good,\u201d the second part of last year\u2019s hit adaptation of the Broadway musical, and \u201cZootopia 2,\u201d a sequel to Disney\u2019s billion-dollar grossing animated hit from 2016. \u201cFive Nights At Freddy\u2019s 2\u201d opens in December, a sequel to the surprise smash hit original film from 2023, which was based on the popular video game. Possibly the most surefire hit is \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash,\u201d which opens the weekend before Christmas. The movie is the third installment in James Cameron\u2019s hit film franchise\u2014\u201cAvatar\u201d and \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water\u201d are the first and third-highest-grossing movies of all time.<\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n Last weekend\u2019s box office was at least somewhat salvaged by \u201cKPop Demon Hunters,\u201d which Netflix released in theaters for a limited two-day run. The movie, which earlier this week became Netflix\u2019s most-watched movie ever, grossed $18 million, winning the weekend over \u201cWeapons.\u201d Even with \u201cKPop Demon Hunters,\u201d last weekend was the worst at the box office since March, according to Box Office Mojo<\/a>.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n