The Cinema Foundation reported that an estimated 8.1 million people went to the movies on Saturday as part of the inaugural "National Cinema Day" statewide campaign, making it the day with the greatest attendance total of the whole year. According to the analytics firm Comscore, the one-day event, which was presented on more than 30,000 screens and held in more than 3,000 theaters, including big chains such as AMC and Regal Cinemas, generated early box office returns of $24.3 million.

The goal of National Cinema Day was to increase attendance at movie theaters during the Labor Day weekend, which is historically known as one of the busiest weekends for the motion picture business. A teaser reel showcasing the upcoming films from major companies like as Disney, Lionsgate, Sony, and A24 served as the inspiration for the marketing, which aimed to encourage audiences to return in the fall.

In a statement, Jackie Brenneman, president of the Cinema Foundation, a charitable arm of the National Association of Theater Owners, claimed that "this event outstripped our highest hopes." "The purpose of the day was to express gratitude to moviegoers for an incredible summer, and now we must express gratitude to them for an incredible day,"

Although some other countries have tried out a day with discounted movie tickets, the campaign that took place on Saturday was the first event of its kind to be held on such a broad scale in the United States. The people who put together National Cinema Day expressed their hope that it would become an annual tradition.

According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, this demonstrates that people enjoy attending to the theater. "This confirms that people adore going to the theater." "Price is always a factor to take into consideration."

The films "Top Gun: Maverick" starring Tom Cruise, "DC League of Super Pets" starring The Rock and Kevin Hart, and "Bullet Train" starring Brad Pitt were the three movies that did the best at the box office on that particular day. Another one of this weekend's most popular movies was "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which managed to reclaim the top spot at the box office.

The re-release of the blockbuster superhero picture produced by Sony and Marvel and starring Tom Holland and Zendaya brought in an estimated $6 million. The new version of the film included previously unseen scenes. "Top Gun" came in second with a gross of $5.5 million, "Super Pets" took in $5.45 million, "Bullet Train" made $5.4 million, and "The Invitation," which was the highest grossing movie of the previous week, brought in $4.7 million to complete out the top five.

The re-release of the classic film "Jaws," which was originally released in 1975 and is now being shown in theaters for the first time in 3D, took the tenth and final spot on the list of the weekend's top 10 performers.

According to Comscore, these are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at cinemas in the United States and Canada. On Monday, we will have the final domestic data available.

• "Spider-Man: No Way Home," by Marvel Comics. $6 million.

• It was titled "Top Gun: Maverick," $5.5 million.

• $5.45 million was spent on "DC League of Super Pets."

• "Bullet Train," $5.4 million.

• The phrase "The Invitation" $4.7 million.

• "Beast," $3.6 million.

• "The Rise of Gru," from "Minions." $3.1 million.

• The film "Thor: Love and Thunder" $2.4 million.

• "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero," $2.4 million.

• Jaws (1975), with a gross of $2.3 million.