• by Wayne Friedman , July 30, 2018

Summer movies are seeing sharply lower national TV advertising this year -- all against higher box-office results.

For the three-month period from May 1 through July 28, movie companies are spending 22% less in national TV media -- $471 million, according to iSpot.tv. It was $611.6 million a year ago.

This comes with a double-digit percentage increase in total U.S. box-office revenue results -- 12% -- to $3.4 billion so far this year  (May 4 through July 29) versus a year ago, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

The biggest U.S. box-office movie this year is Disney-Pixer’s “Incredibles 2,” posting $572.8 million to date. A year ago, over this period, U.S. box-office revenues were down 6% versus 2016.

Universal Pictures is the biggest national TV spender at $107.3 million. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” the biggest movie in terms of national TV spending at $31.7 million, took in $397.6 million in U.S. box-office revenue, second to “Incredibles 2.”

This year, Walt Disney’s spent $91 million. Its major film brands: Marvel, $27.2; million; Disney-Pixar, $26.2 million; Lucasfilm, $20.1 million; and Walt Disney Pictures, $17.5 million.

Sony Pictures’ national TV spend is at $73.2 million this year, followed by Warner Bros at $49.7 million; Paramount Pictures at $34.4 million; and Lionsgate, $28 million.

Other top films in terms of national TV spending: Universal’s “Skyscaper” is at $29.9 million; “Incredibles 2” at $26.1 million; Marvel’s “Ant-Man and The Wasp” at $24.2 million; Sony’s “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer,” 23 million; and Universal”s “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is $21.7 million.

A year ago, Warner Bros.’  “Wonder Woman” was the biggest U.S. box-office movie so far at $412.6 million and spending $25.7 million in national TV.

Sony was also a top spender too at $86.9 million, followed by Warner Bros at $83.6 million; 21st Century Fox with $81.4 million; Universal at $75.1 million; and Paramount with $50.9 million.

In 2017, Universal’s “Despicable Me” came in at $31.3 million in media spend, followed by Sony’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” at $29.6 million; Paramount’s “Transformers: The Last Knight” at $29.5 million; Universal’s “The Mummy” with $28.4 million; Fox’s “War of the Planet of the Apes” at $27.4; and Disney-Pixar “Cars 3” at $26.2 million.

Looking at April 1 through July 28 this year, movies studios spent $606.9 million in national TV spending versus $781.2 million for the same period a year ago.