Labor Day weekend has never been a significant period for moviegoing, as many people prefer to spend the final days of summer engaging in various outdoor activities. This year follows that trend, but there are still notable highlights in the box office. The blockbuster film “Deadpool & Wolverine” continues to dominate, holding the No. 1 spot for the sixth consecutive week. Impressively, it has now crossed the $600 million mark domestically, making it only the 16th film in history to achieve such a feat without adjusting for inflation.

Among the newcomers, the indie biopic “Reagan” has managed to climb high on the charts. Starring Dennis Quaid and inspired by Paul Kengor’s book “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism,” the film is neck-and-neck with the holdover movie “Twisters,” now in its seventh week. Both films are projected to earn between $8 million and $9 million over the four-day holiday weekend.

Despite receiving harsh reviews—earning a mere 18 percent on Rotten Tomatoes—”Reagan” has resonated better with audiences, who awarded it an A CinemaScore. Box office analysts anticipated that the film would attract an older demographic, and they hoped the buzz surrounding the 2024 presidential election might broaden its appeal. However, this wider interest has not materialized, as approximately 85 percent of ticket buyers are over 35 years old, with an unprecedented 66 percent over the age of 55. This suggests that “Reagan” could perform well on premium VOD platforms, which are popular among older viewers.

Distributed by SBD, “Reagan” is particularly successful in the central United States, with white moviegoers constituting nearly 80 percent of its audience.

On the other hand, Blumhouse and Sony’s new AI-themed horror film “Afraid,” aimed at younger audiences, is struggling to attract viewers. The film is expected to finish in ninth place with a four-day holiday gross of $4 million.

Back at the top of the charts, Marvel Studios and Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” shows no signs of slowing down. It is anticipated to earn as much as $20 million over the four-day weekend, pushing its domestic total to approximately $605 million by Sunday. This marks it as the sixth-best performance ever for a superhero movie.

Meanwhile, in its third weekend, 20th Century and Disney’s “Alien: Romulus” is holding steady at No. 2 with a projected four-day gross between $10 million and $11 million.

The strong performances of these films, alongside Pixar and Disney’s “Inside Out 2,” have played a crucial role in mitigating an early summer slump at the box office. Domestic box office revenue is expected to total $3.6 billion—a 10 percent decline from summer 2023, which many feared would be much worse.

Sony had a significant female-driven success this summer with Wayfarer Studio’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel “It Ends With Us,” which deals with themes of love, domestic violence, and redemption. Despite a social media uproar regarding a reported conflict between director-star Justin Baldoni and star-producer Blake Lively—with much criticism aimed at Lively—the film has remained strong. It is set to rank No. 3 over Labor Day with an estimated $9.5 million for the four days, bringing its domestic total to $135.8 million by Sunday. Sony has publicly praised Lively and other women involved in the project while avoiding any mention of Baldoni.

Another summer success story is Amblin Entertainment’s “Twisters,” which should conclude the holiday weekend with nearly $260 million in domestic ticket sales. Universal is managing its North American distribution, while Warner Bros. handles international markets.

These updated numbers provide a clearer picture of the Labor Day weekend box office landscape, originally reported on August 31 and revised as of September 1 at 8 a.m., revealing how various films performed during this traditionally slow period for cinemas.