Summer box office exceeds expectations despite sluggish start

Los Angeles: Box office analysts and cinema owners were bracing for a lackluster summer movie season earlier this year, fearing it could be the worst in a decade. However, the domestic summer box office managed to pull in 3.6 billion millions dollars in ticket sales, a 10 percent drop from 2023, but far better than anticipated.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, noted that after the massive 4 billion dollars success of the 2023 "Barbenheimer" summer, expectations for 2024 were tempered. Entering May, domestic box office revenue was down by 22 percent, with the absence of a traditional superhero blockbuster from the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time since 2009.
The summer season started slowly with Universal's "The Fall Guy," which only earned 28 million dollars in its domestic debut and barely reached 100 million dollars in total. Warner Bros.’ "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" also struggled, grossing just 67 million dollars domestically. However, Disney's "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" exceeded expectations, earning 171 million dollars.
The summer box office saw a turning point in mid-June when Disney and Pixar's "Inside Out 2" became the highest-grossing summer movie, raking in $650 million. Another major boost came in late July with the release of "Deadpool & Wolverine," which set records for an R-rated film, earning over 600 million dollars domestically.

Other films that contributed to the summer’s success included Universal’s "Despicable Me 4," Sony’s "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," and Disney’s "Alien Romulus." A re-release of "Coraline" also added 31 million dollars to the August box office, which saw its best month since 2016 with over 900 million dollars in ticket sales.

Looking ahead, analysts are optimistic that the momentum will carry into the fall, with upcoming releases like "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" and "Transformers One" expected to draw large crowds. Although 2024’s box office may not match 2023's levels due to production disruptions caused by labor strikes, experts believe sequels from popular franchises will continue to entice audiences.