Labor Day Weekend Estimates
Sony’s The Equalizer 3 topped the box office over its opening weekend, unseating Gran Turismo from the top spot on the podium with a $34.5 million debut from 3,965 locations. The action sequel is projected to finish the 4-day holiday frame with a $42 million bow. It is the second-highest opening weekend for a title on record, behind 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75M 3-day, $94M 4-day). The film registered an A CinemaScore from moviegoers, 5-star PostTrak rating, and currently holds a 93% Fresh audience rating on RottenTomatoes.
The performance is on par with prior entries in the franchise, with 2014’s The Equalizer posting a $34.1 million debut and the 2018 sequel opening to $36.1 million. Both prior entries finished their respective domestic theatrical runs at around $102 million. This marks the first time Sony claims consecutive weekends atop the domestic box office since August 2023’s Bullet Train.
The film grossed $26.1 millon from 49 overseas markets to take its global debut north of $60 million. Top international markets include the UK ($3.5M, 5-day debut), France ($2.8M), Germany ($2.4M), and Australia ($2.3M). The Equalizer 3 will expand to markets in Latin America (Brazil, Mexico) and Asia Pacific (Japan, South Korea) in October.
Warner Bros.’ Barbie brought in a second-place finish over its seventh frame in the market. The title earned $10 million over the 3-day frame, a mere 30% drop. Barbie is the highest-grossing movie at the global box office in the studio’s 100-year history with $771.5 million overseas and $1.381 billion worldwide. Top overseas markets include the UK ($119.5M), Germany ($54.9M), Australia ($54.7M), Mexico ($54.2M), France ($43.6M), Spain ($35.7M), Italy ($35.2M), and China ($35.1M).
Warner Bros.’ Blue Beetle came in third with a $7.2 million 3-day frame, taking its domestic tally up to $56.5 million. The DCEU title has earned a total of $45.3 million overseas, with Mexico ($5.8M) and Brazil ($5.1M)—Latin America’s two biggest markets—leading all international territories
Sony’s Gran Turismo tumbled down to fourth place over its sophomore frame with $6.5 million from 3,856 locations for its 3-day tally and a projected $8.5 million for the 4-day holiday weekend. The movie has grossed a total of $30 million over its first ten days in the market.
Universal’s Oppenheimer rounds out this weekend’s top 5 with a $5.5 million 3-day haul and $7.2 million estimate for the 4-day holiday. It enjoyed a big boost overseas thanks to a $30.2 million 5-day debut in China, including $9.3 million ($10.2M through Monday) from IMAX screens. China currently represents 736 of the 1,007 overall IMAX prints in circulation worldwide. Oppenheimer is the highest-grossing release on IMAX in 15 global markets, including Argentina, Chile, Finland, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
The Chinese debut pushes Oppenheimer to the #3 spot among 2023’s highest-earning releases at the global box office with $851 million, behind Warner Bros.’ Barbie and studio sibling The Super Mario Bros. Movie. A notable achievement in that none of these titles are sequels of a pre-existing franchise.
Specialty Releases
MGM’s Bottoms broke into the top 10 with its first expansion, grossing $3 million from 715 screens and registering a $4,206 per-screen average. The 4-day estimates put the film’s sophomore frame at $3.6 million with a $5,019 per-screen average. The film has connected primarily with younger viewers in its initial roll out, with moviegoers ages 18-34 representing 80% of admissions. Bottoms is set to expand to a total of 1,200 locations next weekend.
A24 horror flick Talk to Me posted the lowest drop of the weekend, bringing in $1.7 million over the 3-day frame and an estimated $2.2 million for the 4-day tally. It is expected to become the studio’s highest-grossing horror movie on Monday with $44.5 million.
Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates | September 1 – 3, 2023
| Title | Estimated weekend | % change | Locations | Location change | Average | Total | Weekend | Distributor | |
| The Equalizer 3 | $34,500,000 | 3,965 | $8,701 | $34,500,000 | 1 | Sony Pictures | |||
| Barbie | $10,625,000 | -30% | 3,586 | -150 | $2,963 | $609,509,000 | 7 | Warner Bros. | |
| Blue Beetle | $7,270,000 | -40% | 3,316 | -555 | $2,192 | $56,574,000 | 3 | Warner Bros. | |
| Gran Turismo | $6,550,000 | -62% | 3,856 | $1,699 | $28,660,546 | 2 | Sony Pictures | ||
| Oppenheimer | $5,520,000 | -33% | 2,543 | -329 | $2,171 | $304,755,000 | 7 | Universal | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | $4,775,000 | -34% | 2,955 | -190 | $1,616 | $106,474,006 | 5 | Paramount | |
| Bottoms | $3,007,000 | 552% | 715 | 705 | $4,206 | $3,731,706 | 2 | MGM | |
| Meg 2: The Trench | $2,940,000 | -39% | 2,371 | -561 | $1,240 | $78,422,000 | 5 | Warner Bros. | |
| Strays | $2,520,000 | -49% | 2,486 | -746 | $1,014 | $20,721,225 | 3 | Universal | |
| Talk To Me | $1,763,699 | -23% | 1,075 | -246 | $1,641 | $44,102,102 | 6 | A24 | |
| The Hill | $1,440,000 | -37% | 1,703 | 133 | $846 | $4,753,264 | 2 | Briarcliff | |
| Haunted Mansion | $1,300,000 | -35% | 1,190 | -440 | $1,092 | $64,055,567 | 6 | Disney | |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | $1,220,000 | -41% | 965 | -715 | $1,264 | $170,117,466 | 8 | Paramount | |
| Elemental | $1,122,000 | 316% | 2,160 | 1,925 | $519 |
|
12 | Disney | |
| Golda | $769,723 | -55% | 791 | -92 | $973 | $3,179,138 | 2 | Bleecker Street | |
| Sound of Freedom | $762,552 | -51% | 1,100 | -502 | $693 | $181,967,046 | 1 | Angel Studios | |
| Jurassic Park | $389,000 | -77% | 721 | -503 | $540 | $415,138,873 | re-release | Universal | |
| The Good Mother | $302,000 | 423 | $714 | $302,000 | 1 | Vertical | |||
| Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | $119,000 | -49% | -145 | 100 | $821 | $174,313,747 | 10 | Disney | |
| The Last Voyage of the Demeter | $86,000 | -88% | 196 | -1,185 | $439 | $13,594,580 | 4 | Universal | |
| Theater Camp | $85,000 | -24% | 100 | -20 | $850 | $3,782,118 | 8 | Searchlight | |
| The Little Mermaid | $74,000 | -88% | 260 | -1,340 | $285 | $298,114,781 | 15 | Disney | |
| Oldboy | $60,040 |
|
70 | -112 | $858 | $2,323,609 | re-release | Neon | |
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | $60,000 | -87% | 127 |
|
$472 | $574,919,710 | 22 | Universal | |
| Asteroid City | $36,000 | -57% | 46 | -264 | $783 | $28,119,845 | 12 | Focus Features | |
| Fremont | $29,387 | 40% | 9 | 5 | $3,265 | $63,025 | 2 | Music Box Films | |
| The Unknown Country | $4,000 | -31% | 6 | $667 | $47,664 | 6 | Music Box Films | ||
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