Box Office: ‘Weapons’ Leads Quiet Labor Day With $12.4M as ‘Jaws’ Outswims ‘Caught Stealing’ and ‘The Roses’

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Aug 31

Written By Jonathan P. Moustakas

The summer season closes on a muted note, with Steven Spielberg’s classic proving more resilient than new studio fare.

The final box office weekend of the summer delivered a surprising twist: Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, celebrating its 50th anniversary, managed to outpace two new prestige titles. Despite being half a century old, the original blockbuster pulled in an impressive $9.8 million over the four-day Labor Day frame ($8.1 million for the three-day), enough to land in second place and underscore the film’s enduring bite.

The top spot belonged once again to Zach Cregger’s horror sleeper Weapons, which held onto first for the fourth straight weekend. The Warner Bros./New Line release added $12.4 million across the holiday, pushing its global total to $234.6 million and solidifying its status as one of summer’s rare success stories.

Sony’s Caught Stealing, Darren Aronofsky’s stylish crime caper starring Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz, debuted in third with $9.5 million over four days ($7.8 million three-day). The film arrived to strong reviews but tepid audience response, posting a B CinemaScore and relying on better PostTrak exits for momentum.

Disney’s Freakier Friday continued to show staying power in fourth, grossing $8.3 million across the holiday. Meanwhile, Searchlight’s The Roses—Jay Roach’s reimagining of the bitter marital warfare tale—rounded out the top five with $8 million over four days ($6.3 million three-day). Despite strong overseas appeal (a $9.2 million international opening for $17.2 million worldwide), domestic audiences were lukewarm, also assigning it a B CinemaScore.

POPULAR ON THE CINEMA GROUP

The fact that Jaws swam ahead of both new titles is telling for Hollywood. The summer season closed with an estimated $3.67 billion in domestic grosses, down slightly from 2024 and far short of the $4 billion-plus studios once hoped for. As Comscore noted, the summer’s overall revenue trails last year by just 0.2 percent—a razor-thin margin that nevertheless highlights stagnation at a time when the industry is eager for recovery.

Labor Day 2025 may be remembered less for its winners than for what it revealed: that audiences still turn out for beloved classics, even when newer, shinier options can’t hold the same draw.