In Need of a Bodyguard: August Box Office Falls 34% from Prior Year

The Hitman's Bodyguard topped another lackluster weekend at the box office, finishing slightly above expectation at $21.4 million. In second, last week's winner, Annabelle: Creation dropped an okay 55% to $15.6 million. After ten days in release, Annabelle has brought in a strong $65 million in North America, and over $96 million internationally. Over four films, the Conjuring franchise has now grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

In third place, the weekend's other wide release, Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky was anything but, grossing only $7.6 million on over 3,000 screens. Fairing much better, Dunkirk added $6.6 million in its fifth week, which puts the film's domestic total at $165 million. With $229 million-to-date overseas, the Christopher Nolan Oscar hopeful is closing in on $400 million worldwide.

PageBreaks Take: Over the first weekend of August last year, Suicide Squad opened with $134 million. The subsequent weeks added Sausage Party, War Dogs, Pete's Dragon, and Kubo and the Two Strings. By comparison, August 2017 has been a train-wreck, with box office receipts down a whopping 34%. The balance of the year looks promising, with It, Blade Runner, Thor, Justice League, and of course, Star Wars: The Last Jedi all hitting theaters before the end of the year.

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