Box Office: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Rules Quiet Labor Day, New ‘Reagan’ Biopic Battles for 4th Place

Box Office: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Rules Quiet Labor Day, New ‘Reagan’ Biopic Battles for 4th Place

As a cinephile with a keen eye for the industry trends and a heart that yearns for quality storytelling, I must say this Labor Day weekend has been an interesting mix of blockbusters and indie films. The box office success of “Deadpool & Wolverine” is not surprising, given its enduring popularity and the superhero genre’s dominance. However, it’s the underdog, “Reagan,” that truly caught my attention.


Over Labor Day weekend, moviegoing isn’t typically a major event, as most cinema-goers tend to wrap up summer activities instead. This year is no different. The standout film of the long weekend is undeniably “Deadpool & Wolverine“, which holds onto its top spot for a sixth week and surpasses $600 million domestically, making it one of only 16 films ever to achieve this milestone, unadjusted for inflation.

A fresh entry making headway near the top of the rankings is the indie film titled “Reagan“, featuring Dennis Quaid and inspired by Paul Kengor’s book “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism“. This movie is in a tight contest with ongoing release “Twisters“, currently in its seventh week, as both aim to bring in between $8 million and $9 million over the extended holiday weekend.

Despite receiving harsh criticism, with only 18% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the biopic “Reagan” performed better among audiences who awarded it an A grade from CinemaScore. Box office analysts anticipated that the film would appeal to an older demographic, but had hoped that the 2024 presidential election buzz would attract a broader audience, unfortunately without success. Interestingly, about 85% of ticket buyers were over the age of 35, with an astonishing 66% being over the age of 55. This trend sets “Reagan” up for a promising future on premium VOD, a platform favored by older consumers.

In the heartland, Reagan seems to be performing exceptionally well, as white cinema-goers account for almost 80% of the spectators, a statistic provided by SBD.

A younger demographic might have been the intended audience for Blumhouse and Sony’s AI-themed horror movie “Afraid,” but it seems many of them are not going to see it either. The film is projected to end up in ninth place, earning a total of $4 million over four days.

As a diehard fan, I’m still riding high on Marvel Studios and Disney’s blockbuster collaboration, “Deadpool & Wolverine.” This action-packed duo continues to dominate the box office, with no signs of slowing down. Over the four-day weekend, it’s projected to rake in a staggering $20 million, pushing its domestic total to approximately $605 million by Sunday. With such impressive earnings, it’s now ranked as the sixth-best showing for any superhero movie ever!

Over its third weekend, the movie “Alien: Romulus,” produced by both 20th Century and Disney, continues to rank second place. It’s estimated that it will earn between $10 million and $11 million in four days.

The dual releases of two films, including Pixar and Disney’s “Inside Out 2”, significantly contributed to halting a substantial decline in box office earnings during the early summer season. Despite initial concerns that the revenue shortfall could have been much greater, it is now projected that domestic box office income will reach approximately $3.6 billion, which represents a modest 10% decrease compared to the summer of 2023.

As a passionate admirer, I can’t help but marvel at the summer’s biggest female-driven success – Sony’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us” by Wayfarer Studios. This captivating movie, which delves into the complexities of love, domestic violence, and redemption, has truly struck a chord with audiences.

The movie “Twisters,” produced by Amblin Entertainment, is proving to be another summer blockbuster and is expected to rake in approximately $260 million in box office earnings within the holiday weekend in the U.S. Universal Pictures is handling the film’s distribution in North America, while Warner Bros. takes care of its release overseas.

Numbers will be updated Sunday morning.

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2024-08-31 20:54