With $92 million this weekend, August’s domestic box office will be on par with 2023’s total, or close to it for the first time since March. Back-to-back releases have paid off: The three new releases released nationwide brought in a combined $19 million, making up about 20% of the weekend’s box office.
Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut, starring Channing Tatum, had the best showing, taking in a disappointing $7.3 million and finishing in fourth place. Made with a budget of $20 million and released first on Amazon Streaming, the edgy story of a billionaire who hosts a group of young women on an island retreat didn’t get off to a particularly strong start in theaters, but it did garner enough attention to at least generate interest.
Disney’s top two films swapped positions last week. Deadpool & Wolverine dropped just 39 percent in its fifth weekend, grossing $18.3 million and $577 million domestically, far exceeding expectations and making it Marvel’s best gross since Avengers: Endgame. Its projected gross of $625 million to $640 million will make it the second-highest grossing film of the summer domestically and worldwide, behind Inside Out 2.
Another Disney film, “Alien: Romulus,” came in second, down 61% with $16.2 million and $72 million domestically. It’s had a much bigger reaction overseas (a rarity for a studio film this summer), where it’s grossed $153 million so far, so the sequel, with its $80 million budget, should eventually turn a profit.
The summer’s biggest hit, “It Ends With Us” (Sony), came in third with just under $12 million (down 50 percent in its third weekend), with a domestic gross of $121 million and similar results at the international box office, a wholly unexpected result for a $25 million film aimed primarily at females.

“Forge”
Sony, through its faith-based partner Affirm, had the second-best opening with “The Forge,” from “Fireproof” writer-director Alex Kendrick. Made on a $5 million budget, the film earned $6.6 million from 1,818 theaters, placing it in fifth place. That’s 1,249 theaters fewer than “Blink Twice,” which grossed roughly the same. The story of an aimless high school graduate whose life is transformed when he finds faith, the film earned an A+ CinemaScore, which is standard for the genre.
The Crow (Lionsgate) was the worst of the three, coming in eighth and lower with $4.6 million. Brandon Lee’s comic book remake cost $50 million to make. Lionsgate is releasing it domestically only, claiming it will be profitable from subsequent earnings. It grossed less than Fathom’s re-release of Coraline in its second weekend and was shown in 1,150 fewer theaters (thanks to more children’s tickets).
Rounding out the top 10 are “Twisters,” “Despicable Me” (both from Universal) and “Inside Out 2,” all of which declined less than 40%. All three of these films are also available domestically on PVOD and continued to perform well in the latter stages of their theatrical release.
Two critically acclaimed indie films eschewed platforms for broader releases, but neither achieved particularly impressive results. Nonlinear thriller Strange Darlings (Magenta Light) grossed $1.14 million from 1,135 theaters, or $1,008 per theater. Between the Temples (Sony Pictures Classics), starring Jason Schwartzman as a heartbroken choirboy who reunites with his music teacher (Carol Kane), grossed $678,000 from 576 theaters, or $1,118 per theater. Whether these strategies work will become clear after next weekend.
The annual box office decline was 14 percent, the lowest since the beginning of the year, and the September 6th release of “Beetlejuice” is expected to be the first of a string of strong releases after the summer that are expected to help bring in $8 billion in box office revenue in 2024.
Top 10
1. Deadpool & Wolverine (Disney) Week 5; #2 last weekend
$18,300,000 (-39%) from 3,840 (-120) theaters; PTA (average per theater): $4,766; Cumulative total: $577,203,000
2. Alien: Romulus (Disney) Week 2; last week’s No. 1
$16,200,000 (-61%) at 3,915 (+30) theaters, PTA: $4,138, Cumulative: $72,639,000
3. It Ends With Us (Sony) Week 3; Last Weekend #3
$11,850,000 (-50%) in 3,839 (+100) theaters, PTA: $3,087, Cumulative: $120,824,000
4. Blink Twice (Amazon MGM) New Release – CinemaScore: B-; Metacritic: 66; Estimated Production Budget: $20 million
$7.3 million from 3,067 theaters, PTA: $2,388, Cumulative: $7.3 million
5. The Forge (Sony) New Release – CinemaScore: A+, Estimated Production Budget: $5 million
$6.6 million from 1,818 theaters, PTA: $3,630, Cumulative: $6.6 million
6. Twisters (Universal) Week 6; Last weekend #4; Also on PVOD
$6.2 million (-38%) at 3,206 (-277) theaters, PTA: $1,934, Cumulative: $248.67 million
7. Coraline (Fathom/Focus) Reissued for 2nd week; #5 last weekend; also available on VOD
$5,006,000 (-49%) from 1,600 (+168) theaters, PTA: $3,521, Cumulative (adjusted): (Estimated) $134,100,000
8. The Crow (Lionsgate) New Release – CinemaScore: B-, Metacritic: 29, Estimated Production Budget: $50 million
$4.6 million from 2,752 theaters, PTA: $1,672, Cumulative: $4.6 million
9. Despicable Me (Universal) – 8th week, 6th last weekend, also airing on PVOD
$4,400,000 (-30%) in theaters: 2,788 (-221), PTA: $1,698, Cumulative: $348,280,000
10. Inside Out 2 (Disney) Week 10; #8 last weekend; also available on PVOD
$2,100,000 (-39%) from 1,850 (-350) theaters, PTA: $1,346, Cumulative: $646,311,000

“Strange Darling” © Magenta Light Studios / Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Other professional and independent titles
Movies (limited release, expanded limited release) are listed by week of release, starting with movies released this week. After the first three weeks, only movies with box office grosses over $5,000 are shown. Metacritic scores and original festival numbers are recorded when available.
Strange Darling (Magenta Light) New Release – Metacritic: 83; Festival: Frightfest 2023
$1,144,182 from 1,135 theaters, PTA: $1,008
Between the Temples (Sony Pictures Classics) New Release – Metacritic: 82; Festivals: Sundance, Berlin, TriBeCa 2024
$677,948 in 576 theaters, PTA: $1,177
My Penguin Friends (Roadside Attraction) Week 2
760 (-323) $454,200 in theaters, PTA: $519, Total: $2,047,000
Mountain (Music Box) Week 2
$11,478 from five theaters, PTA: $2,296, Total: $20,569
Cuckoo (Neon) Week 3
250 (-1,151) $177,100 in theaters, $6,050,000 cumulative
Good One (Metrograph) Week 3
$52,200 in 31 (+18) theaters, $157,700 in total
Kneecap (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4
$27,150 in 34 (-24) theaters, Total: $1,010,000
CatVideoFest 2024 (Oscilloscope) Week 4
$35,110 at 32 (-29) theaters, $586,780 in total
Diddy (Focus) Week 5
$470,000 in 435 (+8) theaters, PTA: $1,079, Cumulative: $3,611,000
Widow Clicquot (Vertical) Week 6; also airing on PVOD
$27,500 in 44 (-5) theaters, total: $866,170
Sing Sing (A24) Week 7
$241,118 in 119 (+7) theaters, PTA: $1,262, Total: $1,598,000
Long Legs (Neon) Week 7; also airing on PVOD
$320,590 at 375 (-270) theaters, $73,586,000 cumulative