Box Office: ‘Weapons’ Opens to $42.5M, ‘Freakier Friday’ Scores $29M in Strong Late-Summer Weekend

Two crowd-pleasers, a chilling mystery and a nostalgic comedy, give the box office a welcome boost as summer draws to a close.

Summer may be winding down, but the weekend box office had the energy of peak season thanks to two very different — and very successful — new releases. Warner Bros.’ Weapons, a twisty horror mystery from Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger, topped the charts with an impressive $42.5 million debut. Close behind, Disney’s Freakier Friday, a long-awaited sequel to the 2003 Lindsay Lohan–Jamie Lee Curtis hit, kicked off with $29 million.

The strong one-two punch helped lift overall theatrical sales during what is typically a late-August lull, knocking Marvel’s Fantastic Four: The First Steps from its two-week reign at No. 1.

‘Weapons’ Sharpens the Horror Market

Cregger’s follow-up to his 2022 breakout Barbarian proved that original horror still packs drawing power. Opening to $42.5 million on a $38 million budget, Weapons extends a hot streak for Warner Bros. following recent wins like Sinners, A Minecraft Movie, and Superman. The film stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan, and centers on the eerie disappearance of a group of children — with a sinister mystery unfolding in its wake.

Strong reviews (and an “A-” CinemaScore) fueled audience turnout, and the film’s success positions Cregger as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand genre directors. He’s already been tapped to reboot Resident Evil, signaling that Weaponsmay be just the beginning of his mainstream run.

‘Freakier Friday’ Delivers Feel-Good Nostalgia

Disney’s Freakier Friday leaned into both nostalgia and fresh comedic energy, reuniting Curtis and Lohan while introducing new generational twists to the beloved body-swap premise. With an “A” CinemaScore and a $42 million production budget, the film’s $29 million debut marks a strong start for a family-friendly title this late in the summer. Positive word-of-mouth could ensure solid legs in the weeks ahead, especially with limited direct competition in the family market.

Holdovers and Other Notables

Last weekend’s champ, Marvel’s Fantastic Four: The First Steps, fell to third place with $15.5 million, continuing its sharp post-debut decline. The superhero pic has now grossed $230 million domestically but faces an uphill battle to match the total of rival DC’s Superman.

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In fourth place, The Bad Guys 2 earned $10.4 million in its sophomore frame, bringing its total to $43.4 million. Paramount’s The Naked Gun, the last film from the studio’s pre-Skydance regime, rounded out the top five with $8.3 million in its second weekend for a $33 million cumulative gross.

Elsewhere, faith-based specialist Angel Studios opened fantasy comedy Sketch to $2.5 million nationwide.