2019 Summer Box Office Was Bigger Than Last Year... If You Count 'Avengers: Endgame' Opening

Marvel

Now that the 2019 summer movie season is officially over, was it able to outperform 2018 and become the biggest summer ever? The answer depends on how you include the biggest box office hit ever, “Avengers: Endgame.”

Since the release of “Spider-Man” in 2002, box office analysts have traditionally defined the summer season as beginning on the first Friday of May and ending on Labor Day. By that measurement, the 2019 domestic box office grossed $4.31 billion, a drop of 2.2% from the $4.41 billion made in the same time frame in 2018.

Also Read: Disney Films Made 42% of This Summer's Box Office Grosses

But the release slates for the past two summers haven’t adhered to industry standards. In an effort to avoid spoilers, Disney released “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” on the last weekend of April in the U.S. to coincide with its overseas release. In the week before the summer season “officially” started, “Infinity War” earned $338 million to post the second highest opening week ever, while “Endgame” earned the biggest opening week of all time with a staggering $473 million grossed.

When these totals are included, the summer 2018 total rises to $4.82 billion, but summer 2019 sneaks just above it with $4.84 billion. That’s the second highest amount ever recorded in this time span, sitting only behind the $4.87 billion grossed in 2013.

Also Read: Disney and #BoycottMulan Campaign: How Studios Must Adapt to Social Media Firestorms

The disparity in the numbers shows the impact “Avengers: Endgame” has had on the overall box office and the drop in box office performance by non-Disney studios compared to last year. Disney’s market share during the summer increased from 33% in 2018 to 42% in 2019, 47% if the entire domestic run of “Endgame” is counted.

Meanwhile, the combined gross of the top three non-Disney summer releases fell 24% compared to last year. The top three in summer 2018 — “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Deadpool 2” and “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” — grossed a combined $940 million. The top three in 2019 — “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” “John Wick 3” and “The Secret Life of Pets” — grossed $714 million, with more than half of that coming from “Spider-Man” alone with $385 million.

Also Read: Fall Box Office Preview: Can 'Star Wars,' 'Frozen' and 'Jumanji' Sequels Boost Sluggish 2019 Totals?

Overall, the annual domestic box office to date stands at $7.8 billion, down 6.5% from last year. That deficit is mostly attributable to poor box office numbers in January and February, with February grosses hitting a six-year low.

Analysts are optimistic that the final four months of the year will help erase this deficit, thanks to a mix of Disney sequels like “Frozen II” and offerings from other studios like Warner Bros.’ “It: Chapter Two” and “Joker.” However, Disney is still expected to have the largest annual market share in industry history by year’s end, with its share currently standing at 37%.

10 Films Directed by Women to Check Out This Fall, From 'Frozen 2' to 'Little Women' (Photos)

After years of criticism over the lack of gender diversity among directors in Hollywood, studios are finally starting to hire more women. 2019 is the first year that all major studios are releasing at least one film directed by a woman, and this fall's slate has plenty of women contributing movies, from animated blockbusters to potential Oscar contenders. Here are 10 to look out for.
Lorene Scafaria - “Hustlers” (Sept. 13)

The writer of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” will direct this crime dramedy for STX based on Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine article “The Hustlers at Scores.” The film features a cast led by Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez in a true story about a team of strippers who seduced and stole from Wall Street’s elite after the 2008 recession.
STX
Jill Culton - “Abominable” (Sept. 27)

September usually has an animated feature on the release slate, and this year’s offering comes from DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio with Jill Culton’s tale about a Shanghai girl who goes on an adventure to help a Yeti return to Everest. Culton, who directed “Open Season” for Sony, left and returned to “Abominable” during its development.
DreamWorks Animation
Kasi Lemmons - “Harriet” (Nov. 1)

Every weekend in November will have a film made by a woman hitting theaters, starting with Focus Features’ biopic starring Cynthia Erivo as the famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Kasi Lemmons, who directed Samuel L. Jackson in “Eve’s Bayou,” is working here with a cast that includes Janelle Monae and “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr.
Focus Features
Alma Har’el - “Honey Boy” (Nov. 8)

Next is a film that left Sundance utterly speechless. Alma Har’el, a longtime commercial director who has fought bias in the ad industry, directs longtime collaborator Shia LaBoeuf in “Honey Boy,” a film written by LaBoeuf as an unflinching examination of his life as a child actor. LaBoeuf stars as a character based on his abusive father.
Amazon Studios
Elizabeth Banks - “Charlie’s Angels” (Nov. 15)

Having previously directed “Pitch Perfect 2,” Elizabeth Banks is bringing “Charlie’s Angels” back to the big screen, and also starring as this incarnation's Bosley to a new team of Angels (Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska) in a Townsend Agency that has expanded worldwide.
Sony
Marielle Heller - “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (Nov. 22)

November 22 will be the big weekend. Marielle Heller, who last year directed Melissa McCarthy to an Oscar nomination in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, helms this biopic based on the friendship between writer Tom Junod and Mister Rogers, played by Tom Hanks.
Sony
Jennifer Lee - “Frozen II” (Nov. 22)

On the same weekend, Jennifer Lee will team up once again with Chris Buck to bring Anna and Elsa back to the big screen. “Frozen” catapulted Jennifer Lee into the top tier of animators, and last year she was named the new creative head of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Disney
Melina Matsoukas - “Queen & Slim” (Nov. 29)

But while “Frozen II” will be a family delight, Melina Matsoukas will be bringing something much darker. Written by Lena Waithe, “Queen & Slim” stars Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith as a couple who must go on the run after they shoot a police officer during a traffic stop gone wrong.
Universal
Chinonye Chukwu - “Clemency” (Dec. 27)

Alfre Woodard stars in this year’s Sundance U.S. Dramatic Jury Award winner that also looks like a strong awards season contender. Director Chukwu became the first black woman to win that prize with this tale about a prison warden who oversees inmates on death row. .
NEON
Greta Gerwig - “Little Women” (Dec. 25)

Another likely awards season contender from Gerwig, still riding high from her “Lady Bird” Best Director nomination, this is the eighth feature adaption of the Alcott literary classic. The murderer’s row of a cast includes: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep and Timothée Chalamet. Get ready for this one to be talked about for months.
Sony

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From Heller to Gerwig and beyond, the opportunities for female filmmakers to shine are growing

After years of criticism over the lack of gender diversity among directors in Hollywood, studios are finally starting to hire more women. 2019 is the first year that all major studios are releasing at least one film directed by a woman, and this fall's slate has plenty of women contributing movies, from animated blockbusters to potential Oscar contenders. Here are 10 to look out for.

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