Fall

That oft-mentioned late summer slowdown is here, earlier than in past pre-pandemic years. The middle of August hasn't always been known for blockbusters, but the industry will certainly be scratching and clawing for positive insights this weekend.

June and July were the two best months yet for the post-pandemic box office. In June, the domestic cume was $968M, eclipsing December 2021 ($920M) as the top-grossing month since quarantine. June 2022 wouldn’t hold the record for long, as...