Despite the bombs, Hollywood posts a record summer

9/2/2013

NEW YORK  — Despite some spectacular flops, Hollywood’s summer concluded with a record $4.7 billion in box-office revenue.

The summer movie season closed out on Labor Day weekend as the boy band concert film “One Direction: This Is Us” took in an estimated $18 million from Friday to today for Sony Pictures, according to studio estimates today. That wasn’t enough to unseat “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which stayed on top with $20 million.

It was a positive note to end the summer for Hollywood. More than ever before, the industry packed the summer months with big-budget blockbusters that ranged from the hugely successful “Iron Man 3” to the disastrous “The Lone Ranger.”

The box office saw a 10.2 percent increase over last summer, with attendance rising 6.6 percent.