It’s been the worst box office summer in decades in 2017, and appropriately enough, it ends with a whimper. With no new major wide releases hitting cinemas, this was the worst Labor Day weekend at the movies in seventeen years, which led to some strange outcomes.
“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” stayed at the top of the box office with a surprising 0.1% drop in attendance since last weekend, earning $10.2 million. I guess that’s what happens when almost no one is buying tickets — numbers stay steady. The Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson mismatched buddy comedy has quietly netted $54 million domestic, which isn’t too shabby for an R-rated movie that only cost $30 million. There’s probably not a sequel in the future, but Lionsgate will probably take home a decent little profit.
The lack of overcrowding with new movies, led to some intriguing bumps for a wide variety of films, likely from audiences giving their favorites a rewatch or catching up with something they missed. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” saw a 29.4% boost, and pocketed $3.4 million. Families brought the kids out to “Despicable Me 3” to the tune of $2.3 million, marking an impressive 34.8% boost.
Meanwhile, in specialty cinemas, “Wind River” saw a 27.4% spike, adding 507 cinemas, and tallying $5.8 million. That’s some good news for The Weinstein Company who also saw their long delayed, and critically thrashed “Tulip Fever” wither with $1.2 million from 765 cinemas.
Other releasees of note include the 40th anniversary re-release of Steven Spielberg‘s restored “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind,” which earned $1.8 million from 900 screens. Meanwhile, Marvel‘s “Inhumans” earned $1.5 million from just under 400 IMAX screens, in advance of its TV launch later this month.
1. “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” — $10.2 million ($54.9 mil.)
2. “Annabelle: Creation” — $7.3 million ($88.9 mil.)
3. “Wind River”— $5.8 million ($18.2 mil.)
4. “Leap!” — $4.8 million ($11.3 mil.)
5. “Logan Lucky” — $4.4 million ($21.4 mil.)
6. “Dunkirk” — $4.1 million ($178.7 mil.)
7. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” — $3.6 million ($324 mil.)
8. “The Emoji Movie” — $2.4 million ($80.3 mil.)
9. “Despicable Me 3” — $2.36 million ($257.8 mil.)
10. “Girls Trip”— $2.32 million ($111.5 mil.)