‘Weapons’ regains the top spot as the summer box office winds down

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows promotional art for the film "Weapons." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

LOS ANGELES — “Weapons” found its way back on top during the Labour Day weekend, culminating a summer box office that’s likely to fall right below meeting last year’s earnings.

Zach Cregger’s horror proved its staying power as a late-summer viral success and regained the top spot after last weekend saw “Kpop Demon Hunters” give Netflix its first box-office win. “Weapons” generated US$10.2 million during its fourth weekend in theaters.

Universal’s 50th rerelease of “Jaws” also made a splash in theaters, securing the second spot. Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film took “a bite out of the box office,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore, earning $8.1 million in 3,200 North American theaters.

“How appropriate that a movie that’s celebrating its 50 years, an all-time classic, Jaws, should be as relevant today as it was when it opened,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s so great because we need every dollar to contribute to the bottom line for this summer.”

The rerelease helped boost a summer with earnings likely coming in at $3.7 billion, just under last summer. Still, this year will miss the typical pre-pandemic summer box office benchmark of $4 billion, Dergarabedian said.

“There were casualties this summer. It’s a very crowded summer, very competitive,” Dergarabedian said. “At the end of the day, you can’t get to that four billion mark unless every movie just clicked and is performing at or above expectations.”

This summer’s earnings were front-loaded, with May releases like “Thunderbolts” and “Lilo & Stitch” becoming box office wins. However, the latter half of the summer struggled despite the success of movies like “Weapons.”

Dergarabedian said the summer succeeded in provided high-quality movies and marketing, but it’s “kind of limping a bit to the finish line in terms of the summer movie season.”

The crime caper “Caught Stealing,” starring Austin Butler, generated $7.8 million domestically and snatched third place its debut weekend. Set in 1998 and directed by Darren Aronofsky, the film follows Butler as a New York City bartender who is unexpectedly wrapped up the city’s crime world.

“Freakier Friday,” which debuted alongside “Weapons” early this month for a successful humor/horror double feature, took fourth place, earning $6.5 million domestically. “The Roses,” another newcomer, came in fifth with $6.4 million.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” landed in sixth place with $4.8 million. The Marvel superhero film hit box office gold during its late July entry, debuting at $118 million. The film, however, experienced a downward trend in earnings since its release.

“The Bad Guys 2″ came in just below “First Steps,” with $4.7 million, followed by “Superman,” an early July entry that generated $2.6 million during the Labour Day weekend.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Weapons,” US$10.2 million.

2. “Jaws (1975),” $8.1 million.

3. “Caught Stealing,” $7.8 million.

4. “Freakier Friday,” $6.5 million.

5. “The Roses,” $6.4 million.

6. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” $4.8 million.

7. “The Bad Guys 2,” $4.7 million.

8. “Superman,” $2.6 million.

9. “Nobody 2,” $1.8 million.

10. “The Naked Gun,” $1.8 million.

Itzel Luna, The Associated Press