Summer box office weakens on lower theatrical ad spending

The struggling summer U.S./Canada theatrical movie business is virtually flat compared to box-office revenue a year ago -- down 1.1% to $3.59 billion, according to IMDb Box Office Mojo. Summer movie box-office results typically can be a barometer for the health of the business. Looking at just in-season first-time releases in the period, the domestic box office is down 10% to $3.31 billion in box-office revenues versus a year ago.