Some were expecting bombs and bangers to save the summer box office. But thanks to overwhelming ticket sales for Greta Gerwig’s insanely pink “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s insanely dark “Oppenheimer,” domestic revenue reached $4 billion between May and August for the first time in the pandemic era.
“What seemed an out-of-reach goal just a few months ago, the $4 billion domestic summer season box office became a reality over Labor Day weekend, reflecting not only a strong lineup of films, but a strong reception by audiences over time.” It also reflects a willingness to embrace the time-honored tradition of going to the movies during the hottest movie-watching season of the year,” says senior comScore analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
“Barbie” is the top-grossing film of the summer (and the year) so far with $612 million in North America and $1.36 billion globally. “Oppenheimer” outperformed expectations with $311 at the domestic box office and $850 million worldwide.
Other top stateside earners this summer include Sony’s animated “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” ($381 million), Disney and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” ($358 million), “The Little Mermaid” remake ($298 million) and the Jim Caviezel-led action thriller “Sound of Freedom” ($181 million). Those blockbusters helped offset poorly performing tentpoles like DC’s superhero adaptation “The Flash” and Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” remake.
This year’s revenue managed to better last summer’s $3.4 billion, led by “Top Gun: Maverick” with $718 million. Popcorn season continues to improve in the COVID-stricken years of 2021 ($1.75 billion) and 2020 ($176 million), according to comScore, but it has yet to reach the pre-pandemic heights of 2019 ($4.38 billion).
David A., who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “This is a great result and another positive step for the industry,” says Gross.
This is good news. The unfortunate reality is that this autumn’s movie slate is light, except for Deus Ex Machina, Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert film, which releases in October and could top $100 million in its opening weekend. Otherwise, the film release calendar is relatively light after “Dune: Part II” has been moved to 2024 and Sony’s comic book adaptation “Kraven the Hunter,” the “Ghostbusters” sequel” and Zendaya’s tennis drama “Challengers” have been delayed. Actors cannot promote Blockbuster-Hopeful during the ongoing strike.
