With the Houston flood, impending race riots and a looming nuclear war all on the horizon, folks aren’t really thinking about movies. And this weekend will prove that as it shapes up to be the worst Labor Day at the box office since 2001. Last weekend was a historic one at the box office, but not exactly in a good way. The action-comedyThe Hitman’s Bodyguardmanaged to repeat with just $10.2 million, as a trio of underperforming new releases fell way short, resulting in the worst overall weekend for the top 12 movies in 16 years, and the lowest August weekend in 20 years. It’s entirely possible that record forbox office futilitycould already be broken over the Labor Day holiday, a weekend that is traditionally one of the lowest of the year, but with only two movies debuting, The Weinstein Compan’sTulip Feverand Sony’s re-release ofClose Encounters of the Third Kind, both arriving in less than 1,000 theaters, it seems thatThe Hitman’s Bodyguardwill likely earn an unconventional three-peat, with a projected (and paltry) $5.7 million.
If our projection is accurate, then the “winning” tally forThe Hitman’s Bodyguardwould make it the second lowest-grossing movie to hit #1 in the past 20 years, betweenJerry Maguire, which took the top spot in its seventh weekend in theaters with $5.5 million in January 1997, andThe Watcher, which earned the #1 spot in its second weekend in September 2000 with $5.8 million.Box Office Mojoreports thatClose Encounters, which is heading back to theaters for its 40th Anniversary, will only be released in approximately 700 theaters, while The Weinstein Company’sTulip Fever, which was originally supposed to debut in limited release last weekend, will now open in 600 theaters. While they’ll certainly both crack the top 10, it definitely won’t be a huge opening for either movie.
TheConjuring franchisespin-offAnnabelle: Creationwill likely spend its third straight week in the #2 spot with $3.9 million, followed by theClose Encounters of the Third Kindre-release in third place with $3.2 million, the animated comedyLeap!in fourth with $2.9 million and the critically-acclaimed dramaWind Riverrounding out the top 5 with $2.2 million. Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon and acclaimed French film director François Truffaut star in the story of a group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Director (Steven Spielberg) and Best Supporting Actress (Melinda Dillon),Close Encounters of the Third Kindwon for Best Cinematography (Vilmos Zsigmond) with Frank E. Warner taking home a Special Achievement Award for sound effects editing.Close Encounters of the Third Kindis presented with an all-new 4K restoration. The film was fully restored from the 35mm original camera negative, thereby utilizing in 4K the full resolution, detail and color depth inherent in the film.
We’re projecting that the top 10 will be rounded out byLogan Lucky($2.1 million),Dunkirk($1.9 million),Spider-Man: Homecoming($1.7 million),Tulip Fever($1.5 million) andBirth of the Dragon$1.1 million). Set against the backdrop of the 17th-century Tulip Wars,Tulip Feverfollows a married noblewoman (Alicia Vikander) who has an affair with an artist (Dane DeHaan) and switches identities with her maid to escape the wealthy merchant she married. She and her lover try to raise money together by investing what little they have in the high-stakes tulip market.
Also opening in limited release will be Freestyle Releasing’sA Boy Called Po, PBS' documentaryDolores, Pantelion’s foreign filmHazlo Como Hombre (Do It Like An Hombre), Shout! Factory’s horror-thrillerJackals, Vertical Entertainment’s comedyThe Layover, Screen Media’s horror movieTemple, Lionsgate Premiere’s action-thrillerUnlocked, Hammond’s thrillerValley of Bonesand the dramaViceroy’s House. There is no indication if any of these movies will be expanding nationwide in the weeks to come.
Looking ahead to next weekend, New Line Cinema’s highly-anticipatedITremake may finally be able to pull the box office out of this late-summer slump, debuting in wide release alongside the Open Road Films romantic comedyHome Againand Atlas Distribution’s drama9/11. Also opening in limited release is GKIDS’Napping Princess, Indican’sParadise Club, Sony’sPoster Boys, IFC’sRebel in the Rye, Magnolia’sSchool Life, The Orchard’sTrophyIFC’sThe Unknown Girland Real Women’sYear by the Sea. Take a look at our projections for the Labor Day holiday weekend below.
