As the summer transitions into the Labor Day weekend, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to dominate the box office, solidifying its position as a major player in the film industry. For the fifth time in six weekends, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has claimed the top spot at the box office. This reign was only briefly interrupted by the debut of “Alien: Romulus,” which secured the No. 1 position during its premiere. Despite these successes, the summer movie season of 2024 is poised to be remembered as one of the most disappointing since 2005. New releases like “Reagan,” “AfrAId,” “1992,” and “Slingshot” contributed minimally to the overall box office, culminating in an estimated total of $3.6 billion by the end of the four-day holiday.

This lackluster performance is notable, especially when compared to previous years. Excluding the pandemic-impacted years of 2020-2022, 2024 marks the worst summer movie season since the release of “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” in 2005, according to Box Office Mojo. The summer of 2005 generated $3.53 billion, a figure that becomes even more stark when adjusted for inflation, bringing it to an equivalent of $5.68 billion in today’s dollars. This comparison highlights the significant decline in box office performance for 2024.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is a highly anticipated follow-up to the successful “Deadpool” and “Deadpool 2” films, featuring Ryan Reynolds as the wisecracking anti-hero. Directed by Shawn Levy and boasting a star-studded cast including Hugh Jackman, Morena Baccarin, Jennifer Garner, Matthew Macfadyen, Brianna Hildebrand, and Rob Delaney, this third installment is the first to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Scheduled for release on July 26, 2024, this film promises a blend of superhero action, comedy, and sci-fi elements.

When considering inflation adjustments, 2024’s summer movie season stands out as one of the worst ever. For example, using an inflation calculator, the $1.71 billion earned during the Batman Returns-led summer of 1992 translates to $3.83 billion today, surpassing this year’s total. Without adjusting for inflation, if not for “Inside Out 2” ($647.8 million) and “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($599.5 million) before the final weekend’s numbers are added, 2024 would be an even more challenging year for the movie industry to process.

As predicted, the final weekend of the 2024 summer movie season ended with several new releases failing to make a significant impact at the box office. “Deadpool & Wolverine” retained its No. 1 position with an estimated $15.2 million over three days and $19.3 million over four days. “Alien: Romulus” secured the No. 2 spot with $9.3 million (three-day) and $11.4 million (four-day), while Blake Lively’s romantic drama “It Ends with Us” claimed No. 3 with $7.43 million (three-day) and $9.4 million (four-day).

The first newcomer to make a mark was Dennis Quaid’s political drama “Reagan,” landing at No. 4 with $7.4 million (three-day) and $9 million (four-day). Following closely was Glen Powell’s disaster film “Twisters,” which continued its box office run despite already being available on digital platforms, earning $7.2 million (three-day) and $8.8 million (four-day).

However, the good news ends there for this weekend’s newcomers. Aside from “Reagan,” only one other new release made it into the Top 10: “AfrAId,” which severely underperformed against expectations that ranged from $7 million to $12 million. Instead, it garnered just $3.7 million (three-day) and $4.3 million (four-day), placing it at No. 9.

Other new releases like “1992” and “Slingshot” failed to break into the Top 10 as summer drew to a close. However, Marc Marriott’s “Tokyo Cowboy” achieved the highest per-theater average of the weekend in limited release, earning $10,505 per venue across two cinemas.

Looking ahead, anticipation builds for the release of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” set to open in theaters on September 6.