Unless you were at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend, there is a good chance you didn’t go to the movies. While Hollywood usually expects a slow weekend to follow Labor Day weekend, this weekend was particularly awful, with Guardians of the Galaxy taking the top spot.
Just how bad was it? According to Box Office Mojo, the Top 12 movies this weekend grossed $51.9 million in total. That’s the worst weekend total in two years. It’s also barely better than the worst weekend from the last decade, which was also in September. During the Sept. 5-7, 2008 weekend, the top 12 made just $50.3 million.
Guardians made just $10.6 million, earning its fourth weekend at the top spot. The film has made $294.6 million in total domestically and $586.2 million globally, notes The Hollywood Reporter. It is still easily the top-grossing film of the year, beating Marvel’s other movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
The only new wide release of the weekend was the faith-based The Identical, which was seen in just under 2,000 theaters. The $32 million was a complete disaster, opening in the No. 11 slot with just $1.91 million. Freestyle Releasing was clearly hoping that it would light a fire like God’s Not Dead, but it didn’t work.
The worst part of The Identical’s weekend was that it couldn’t even beat Sony’s When The Game Stands Tall, which has been in theaters for three weeks already. Game grossed $3.7 million and is up to $23.5 million domestically.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles added $6.5 million, while If I Stay earned $5.75 million. The November Man dropped off with only $4.2 million and If Above/So Below earned just $3.7 million.
Clearly, the awards season can’t start soon enough for Hollywood.
image courtesy of Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com