Weapons Sparks August Horror Boom as Late-Summer Box Office Heats Up

Weapons Sparks August Horror Boom as Late-Summer Box Office Heats Up

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New Line’s horror title Weapons is shaping up to be the August movie to watch, with a strong start and a promising turnout that could redefine late-summer expectations.

On Monday, Weapons posted $5.2 million, the best single Monday for a horror release in August, surpassing The Sixth Sense’s $4.35 million and New Line’s Annabelle: Creation at $3.6 million. Its Monday performance helped the film post a solid opening weekend tally of about $43.5 million, marking what could be the strongest August opening for a horror title since the summer box office landscape began to reopen. The Meg, a shark movie, is noted as a different subgenre, so the comparison here is specifically within horror.

That Monday figure also sits above several notable horror openings on their first Mondays, including Sinners’ $7.8 million, Final Destination: Bloodlines’ $5 million, 28 Years Later’s $2.8 million, and Five Nights at Freddy’s’ $4 million, underscoring Weapons’ standout start even in a crowded season.

Looking ahead, this Tuesday is estimated to reach around $7 million for the Cregger-directed film starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong, and Alden Ehrenreich, a figure that outpaces the Tuesday debuts for Get Out ($4.9 million) and Final Destination: Bloodlines ($6.1 million). For the weekend, a conservative projection places Weapons at roughly $21 million, implying around a 50 percent drop from its opening frame. Whether the title will maintain momentum into a bigger horror wave—similar to the trajectory of Get Out or Sinners—will become clearer as the Friday-to-Sunday numbers come in.

There’s a notable industry note behind Weapons’ scheduling: Warner Bros. moved the New Line release to the second weekend of August, shifting away from its original Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2026 slot. Zach Cregger reportedly pressed for a summer release, and the strategy appears to be paying off by giving Weapons a stronger late-summer marquee alongside other high-profile titles such as Freakier Friday. This shift also slots into a broader market strategy, as Warner Bros. previously had Animal Friends (a Ryan Reynolds-produced animation/live-action hybrid) planned for Aug. 15, which has since been moved to May 1, 2026.

On the other side of the weekend, Universal opens Nobody 2, led by Bob Odenkirk, in approximately 3,200 theaters with an early projection north of $10 million. Nobody 2 continues the legacy of the franchise’s core audience and 87North’s action-leaning track record, which began with the first Nobody bowing to $6.8 million in March 2021 and finishing with $27.5 million domestically.

Overall, Weapons’ performance signals a healthy appetite for horror in late summer and demonstrates the impact of deliberate release scheduling on box office results. If the trend holds, August could prove to be a surprisingly robust month for genre titles, with Weapons leading the charge and shaping expectations for the fall slate.

Quick takeaways
– Weapons opened to about $43.5M and dominated Monday horror numbers for August with $5.2M.
– Short-term outlook suggests around $21M domestic for the weekend, with a roughly 50% drop anticipated.
– Scheduling shifts and late-summer market health appear to be paying off for Weapons and the wider slate.
– Nobody 2 enters the frame this weekend with early projections above $10M, targeting an older male audience and solid theater counts.

Summary: Weapons’ strong August start and optimistic trajectory reinforce a surprisingly resilient late-summer box office, powered by smart release timing and sustained audience interest in horror titles. A hopeful sign for genre films as studios continue to coordinate calendars to maximize late-summer attendance.

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