Weapons sets August Monday box office record

Weapons posted a record Monday for an August horror release with 5.2 million and is tracking a strong second weekend.

Weapons Sets August Monday Box Office Record

Weapons opened Monday with 5.2 million at the domestic box office, the highest ever for a horror title on an August Monday. It topped The Sixth Sense which earned 4.35 million and Annabelle Creation with 3.6 million on similar days. The film has a 43.5 million domestic opening, making it arguably the best August horror opener in recent memory.

Forecasts for the coming weekend place the total around 21 million. Warner Bros moved the release to August from the original MLK date in 2026, a shift supported by Jeff Goldstein, the studio executive in charge of distribution. The cast includes Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong and Alden Ehrenreich. Universal's Nobody 2 is the only major studio wide entry this weekend, expected to start above 10 million across about 3,200 theaters. The late summer market remains competitive, with Weapons sharing the marquee with Freakier Friday and testing how far a horror title can push into August.

August horror has shown it can be a reliable draw when a release is well timed. Weapons benefited from a late summer window and from a calendar that rewards momentum rather than a single big splash. The move by Warner Bros to place it in August instead of a later MLK date shows how studios chase extended runs during a crowded period.

If the pattern holds, more studios may test late August slots or push horror into the tail end of summer. That could reshape the fall slate and invite a new wave of midweek and weekend audiences. The risk is clutter, possible fatigue, and a hollow sense that big numbers are easy wins; the reality remains that release timing is a silent but decisive factor in box office.

Highlights

The summer calendar keeps shifting and so do audiences.