Disney films account for 42% of the industry’s summer box office

Including $66.7 million from international releases in 49 markets, “Alien: Romulus” boasted a global debut of $108.2 million. Walt Disney Co., which owns 20th Century Studios, took the top two spots on the charts, with Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” now in its fourth weekend, in second place with $29 million. The company was responsible for about 42 percent of the industry’s summer box office volume, including the hits “Inside Out 2” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”

August can often be slow for the film industry or, less charitably, a dumping ground. But while 2024 has generally been left behind for the movie industry, a number of recent hits, including “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “It Ends With Us,” have helped create momentum that has made this weekend from the end in August, up more than 30% from the same weekend last year. It is also up over 10% from August 2019.

“The summer started off pretty bleak, but it’s ending really strong,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “We thought we’d go all the way to August, but now we’re heading into August to a much better overall summer number than we expected for the box office.”

Fede Álvarez directed “Alien: Romulus,” set during the time of “Alien” and “Aliens,” and recruited a cast of 20 to lead the cast, including Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson and Isabela Merced. The sci-fi film plays to Álvarez’s penchant for all things horror, as he’s known for “Evil Dead” and “Don’t Breathe,” and embraces the franchise’s horror roots.

Reviews were somewhat mixed, but mostly positive, with an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. The public gave it a CinemaScore B+.

Romantic drama “It Ends With Us” came in third with $24 million, down just 52% from its triumphant opening. The Sony film, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who also directed, has earned $97.8 million to date. The production cost only $25 million.

Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel of the same name, the film follows Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman at a crossroads when a past love upends her current relationship with Baldoni’s Ryle Kincaid .

Rumors of the film’s behind-the-scenes drama also continue to dominate social media discourse and tabloid headlines — but “Don’t Worry Darling” also taught us that gossip and chatter don’t always translate into comebacks at the box office.

“Twisters” ranked fourth in its fifth weekend with $9.8 million from 3,483 theaters. The Universal release earned over $238.4 million domestically.

Rounding out the top five was a revival: “Coraline,” which Fathom Events put on more than 1,500 screens for its 15th anniversary, where it earned $11.3 million in four days and 8, $6 million Friday through Sunday. The stop-motion animated film was an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman novel, written and directed by Henry Selick, and marked the first release for Laika. It will be in theaters until August 22.

“Borderlands,” the video game adaptation starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis, took in $2.4 million in its second weekend, bringing its box office total to $13.5 million, compared to reported budget of $120 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. The final domestic figures will be published on Monday.

1. “Alien: Romulus,” $41.5 million.

2. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $29 million.

3. “It’s Over With Us,” $24 million.

4. “Twisters,” $9.8 million.

5. “Coraline,” $8.6 million.

6. “Despicable Me 4,” $6 million.

7. “Trap,” $3.4 million.

8. “Inside Out 2,” $3.2 million.

9. “Borderlands,” $2.4 million.

10. “Stree 2,” $2.2 million.

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