Monday, September 4, 2017
NEWSMAKERS
Slow Labor Day caps down summer at the box office
LOS ANGELES
With no new wide releases, Hollywood basically took the Labor Day weekend off and put an end to what’s expected to be the lowest-earning summer-movie-going season since 2006 – the last time the industry saw a sub-$4 billion summer.
Things weren’t as apocalyptic as analysts suggested going into the weekend, which had the potential to be the worst since 1992, but that’s hardly cause for celebration. While official numbers for the four-day weekend won’t be available until Tuesday, studio estimates and projections expect that in total, this Labor Day weekend will be the lowest earning since 1998.
“There’s no sugar coating the fact that this was a very slow labor day weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for comScore. “This was a fitting end to a rough summer.”
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.
1. “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” $10.3 million.
2. “Annabelle: Creation,” $7.3 million.
3. “Wind River,” $5.9 million.
4. “Leap!” $4.9 million.
5. “Logan Lucky,” $4.4 million.
6. “Dunkirk,” $4.1 million.
7. “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” $3.7 million.
8. “The Emoji Movie,” $2.5 million.
9. “Despicable Me 3,” $2.4 million.
10. “Girls Trip,” $2.3 million.
Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker dies
LOS ANGELES
Walter Becker, the guitarist, bassist and co-founder of the 1970s rock group Steely Dan, which sold more than 40 million albums and produced such hit singles as “Reelin’ In the Years,” “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number” and “Deacon Blues,” has died. He was 67.
His official website announced his death Sunday with no further details.
Donald Fagen said in a statement Sunday that his Steely Dan bandmate was not only “an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter” but also “smart as a whip,” “hysterically funny” and “cynical about human nature, including his own.”
“I intend to keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band,” Fagen wrote.
Although Steely Dan had been touring recently, Becker had missed performances earlier in the summer in Los Angeles and New York. Fagen later told Billboard that Becker was recovering from a procedure. Fagen said at the time he hoped that Becker would be fine soon.
Associated Press