Final domestic tally on the record-setting summer has come in at $4.35 billion, or 5% ahead of 2008 -- thanks in part to this summer containing an additional weekend.
A moderate Labor Day weekend generated a total of $124.7 million, led by the soph sesh of Warner/New Line's "The Final Destination" with $15.3 million. The holiday frame total was less than $1 million ahead of the 2008 Labor Day.
Year-to-date domestic biz remains well above 2008 at $7.4 billion, or 8.1% ahead of the same point last year.
Even without the additional weekend, the 2009 summer would have still set a domestic record since it topped 2007's record on Aug. 30 and then padded that total for eight more days.
The presence of a trio of 3-D pics -- Disney's "Up" and "G-Force" and Fox's "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" -- helped put the 2009 summer into the record book as each generated about half their revenues from 3-D venues, which charged premium ticket prices.
And the holiday frame capped a stellar summer for Warners, which edged just past $1 billion for a 23.1% market share with 15 titles. The sixth Harry Potter and "The Hangover" brought in 59% of the studio's summer grosses.
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