Part 4/10:
Perhaps the most telling sign of Hollywood’s struggles was the exceptionally weak Labor Day weekend box office. With new releases failing to attract sizeable audiences, Weapons—a film now in its third or fourth week—was the only movie to cross the $10 million mark. Surprisingly, a 50-year-old classic, Jaws, re-released to mark its 50th anniversary, outperformed the new lineup domestically, beating out new studio films like Caught Stealing and Freakier Friday.
This weekend’s disappointing numbers served as a stark reminder that even nostalgia can’t always salvage flagging box office interest. The industry’s usual fallback—shiny new blockbuster—showed cracks, with the entire summer season ending on a whimper rather than a bang.