8/7-8/9: SPIDER-MAN Widens its Web

Aug 9, 2026

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY mastered the box office for the second weekend in a row, scoring an additional $145.0M and lifting the box office for all films to $203.0M. This was 55% higher than the $131.2M earned on the same weekend last year, led by the $43.5M opening of Warner Bros.’ horror hit WEAPONS. In other words, the top movie in theatres this weekend earned more by itself than all movies in theatres on the same weekend last year.

We expect this year’s August to outpace last year’s, ending the year-to-date totals at the end of the month 20% higher than last year at the same time. Based upon the extraordinary opening of SPIDER-MAN, we are now projecting $9.7B in domestic box office for the full year, shattering the $9B ceiling that has contained the industry since the pandemic.

It is truly amazing the impact that one film can have on the yearly total. A few weeks ago, we were predicting this year’s domestic box office to reach $9.5B, which was itself an uptick from earlier estimates after witnessing THE ODYSSEY’s stronger-than-expected debut. And while we though SPIDER-MAN would do very well, perhaps reaching $700M in domestic sales, we did not expect it to have the highest-grossing movie opening in history. Still, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY suffered a rather significant 60% decline in its second weekend, so its long-term prospects may have some limit.

Next week the box office will benefit from two new wide-release openers, Warner Bros.’ horror film THE END OF OAK STREET and Paramount’s animated PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE. Combined with solid follow-on weeks from SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY and THE ODYSSEY, next weekend will far outpace the $90.7M earned on the same weekend in 2025, when the top-grossing movie in theatres was WEAPONS with $24.5M in its second weekend. There is a chance that SPIDEY alone could once again outgross all films playing in theatres last year.

Now that the opening of SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY is included in our Last Four Weeks calculation, you can clearly see the impact it is having on our year-over-year comparisons.

THE LAST FOUR WEEKS – 2026 vs. 2025

#1 – SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY from Sony and Marvel continued its historic run with a massive $145.0M in its second weekend, a decline of 60% from its record-setting debut. The movie’s 10-day totals stand at $655.1M domestically and $1.67B worldwide. While it’s hard to keep track of all the records SPIDER-MAN has set, here are a few of its milestones.

The dollars are adding up quicker than any other film in history, being the fastest to the following benchmarks.

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’s opening exceeded the expectations of even its studio backers. Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman called the film’s performance “miraculous” and evidence of the strength of theatrical moviegoing by saying, “So I guess movies aren’t dead after all? “People can piss on theatrical all they want, but that’s one thing that only movies—and movie theaters—can do.”

Rothman believes that the five-year interval since the 2021 release of SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME created pent-up demand for this superhero. He also said that Sony resisted the temptation to make the BRAND: NEW DAY merely bigger. “Rather than trying what we all thought would be perhaps an empty effort of going ‘bigger’, we just went ‘deeper’.” He credited director Destin Daniel Cretton with balancing “emotion and spectacle.” That is important: Sony’s conclusion is not simply that audiences wanted another Spider-Man movie, but that the more personal, emotionally focused story broadened the potential audience beyond its core fan base on opening weekend.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige admitted that the size of the opening surprised him. “It’s overwhelming, frankly, to find ourselves in this position on a Monday morning—in the very best way.” On SPIDER-MAN surpassing Marvel’s own AVENGERS: ENDGAME record, Feige said, “I couldn’t be happier that ENDGAME was beat this past weekend by our 38th MCU movie.” Feige attributed the success to the durability of the character and Tom Holland’s performance. “There are none better than the Marvel characters—and none better than Peter Parker.”

Exhibition was also a beneficiary of SPIDER-MAN’s success. AMC recorded the highest weekend revenue in its 106-year history, along with record revenue from food-and-beverage, both domestically and worldwide. After factoring in the revenue from all sources, SPIDER-MAN’s performance was considerably more valuable than the market-wide box office figures suggest. Cinemark also reported its biggest domestic box-office weekend ever as well as its highest three-day opening for a single movie and record revenue for Cinemark XD, ScreenX, D-BOX and food and beverage sales. Marcus reported its highest total weekend box office and total revenue ever, its largest opening day for one title and its best SPIDER-MAN opening. It also recorded its highest premium-large-format attendance ever. One unnamed representative of a major theater circuit summarized the industry’s relief succinctly by saying, “We’re all breathing a hell of a lot easier.”

Despite the fact that BRAND NEW DAY has only played in theatres for ten days, the studios are already planning their next move with such a valuable franchise. The message from Sony, Marvel and the cast is clear: another Tom Holland SPIDER-MAN movie is highly likely, but no fifth solo film has been formally announced or scheduled. The key to a future installment is to keep the winning team together as much as possible, similar to a professional sports team after winning a championship. Asked whether Sony would really let Holland leave after this performance, Rothman said, “The truth is we don’t know at this point.” However, he quickly added, “I certainly, certainly hope. I heard Tom say at some point that he wanted to continue, and we would love it if he did.” When asked whether another Holland sequel remained possible, Rothman answered, “Yes.”

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was even more suggestive. When asked about another installment starring Holland, he replied, “There are always plans. But right now, he’s going to rest after that global press tour. He and Zendaya are going to take a good and restful victory lap, which they very much deserve.” He added, “When you find an actor like Tom Holland to bring that character to life, it is the magic formula.” Although that is not a formal announcement, Marvel clearly wants Holland to remain involved.

Tom Holland has said he will play Spider-Man “for as long as they’ll have me,” but he is also thinking about the character’s eventual succession. He said Sony and Marvel already have “a whole plan” that has been discussed since SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021). “It’s laid out,” Holland explained. “I have a really clear vision [of] the passing on of the baton.” He wants to help introduce a live-action Miles Morales and mentor the next Spider-Man in the way Robert Downey Jr. helped establish him. That sounds less like an immediate departure and more like the storyline for Holland’s eventual final chapter.

Zendaya has not publicly committed to returning for another film, but her recent comments suggest that she remains emotionally invested. She praised Holland for taking greater ownership of the franchise and said the pair “absolutely loved making” the movies. She also described the BRAND NEW DAY production as a “family affair.” Her future as MJ will probably depend on the screenplay, scheduling, and whether the next film gives MJ a meaningful role rather than simply using her as Peter Parker’s romantic interest. Zendaya had reservations about how MJ was characterized in portions of the original script for BRAND NEW DAY and was given considerable creative input to restore the character’s quirky personality. She and Holland also successfully pushed for one important scene to be rewritten and reshot. Look for her participation in the next SPIDER-MAN to be highly dependent on how MJ is portrayed.

Finally, sometimes life gets in the way of the best-made plans. Holland and Zendaya are husband and wife and are both eager to start a family. Tom Holland has been very direct, as he says becoming a father could cause him to leave acting altogether. In a January 2025 interview, Holland said, “When I have kids, you will not see me in movies anymore.” He added that his life would become “golf and dad,” and that he would “disappear off the face of the earth.” Holland had previously said in 2021 that he wanted to take a career break and concentrate on starting a family. His remarks suggest that fatherhood would become his full-time priority, although it is unclear whether he meant permanent retirement or simply an extended hiatus.

Zendaya has not said that she would quit acting after starting a family. Instead, she has described a future in which she continues making movies but becomes less publicly visible. “I don’t necessarily want my kids to have to deal with this,” she told VOGUE, referring to the pressures of fame. Her ideal arrangement would be to “make things and pop out when I need to pop out,” while maintaining “a safe and protected life” with her family. She has also expressed concern about children growing up around celebrity culture because of her own complicated experience as a child actor.

We believe that it will take years to get the next SPIDER-MAN into theatres. This will play into the efforts to keep all of the team together, including the director and principal cast, and give screenwriters time to develop a worthy script that carries the story forward. This will also give Holland and Zendaya time to start a family and figure out the next steps they choose to take in their acting careers. We guess that the next SPIDER-MAN will arrive in approximately five years, hitting theatres in the summer of 2031. Until then, we will enjoy this moment and continue to track the financial performance of BRAND NEW DAY.

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY vs. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME after 10 Days

#2 – THE ODYSSEY

Universal’s THE ODYSSEY finished in second place for the second weekend in a row, bringing in $31.5M and dropping 38%. This brings its 24-day totals to $461.7M domestically and $1.104B worldwide. THE ODYSSEY’s domestic box office has already blown past the $330.1M earned by OPPENHEIMER in its 2023 run. THE ODYSSEY has surpassed the global box office of Nolan’s two previous top-grossing films: THE DARK KNIGHT and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. It is performing extremely well in foreign markets, with 58% of its total sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada. Here are three reasons why the film is doing so well internationally:

The story has worldwide familiarity. Homer’s epic has been required reading for generations of students in Europe and across the world. Its universal themes of adventure, warfare, family, temptation and the struggle to return home appeal to all cultures. The Mediterranean settings also give the picture a particular relevance to European moviegoers.
Christopher Nolan is an international brand. Films such as OPPENHEIMER (2023), INTERSTELLAR (2014) and THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy established Nolan as a filmmaker whose movies must be experienced theatrically. THE ODYSSEY also benefits from the enormous attention and acclaim drawn by OPPENHEIMER, which earned nearly $1 billion worldwide and won seven Academy Awards.
THE ODYSSEY offers the kind of spectacle audiences will pay extra to see. Filmed entirely with IMAX cameras and featuring enormous on-location panoramas, sea battles and mythological creatures, Nolan’s movie is being marketed as a genuine theatrical event. IMAX and other premium formats have substantially increased their overseas grosses; IMAX reported that the format represented approximately 26% of the film’s international business during one recent weekend.

When most films at this point would be entering the waning weeks of their run, THE ODYSSEY will get an infusion of new interest when it opens in China on this upcoming Friday, August 14th. Universal has assembled an invading army of 9,000 theatres and as many as 25,000 – 35,000 screens, among them 800 IMAX auditoriums, which is virtually the entire IMAX Chinese network. Nolan’s highest-grossing movie in China was INTERSTELLAR in 2014, which took in $122.6M. This massive launch could carry the movie into first place among Nolan’s movies. If one were to factor in the impact of inflation over the last 14 years, Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT RISES from 2012 will probably remain the top-grossing film in the famous director’s opus.

Christopher Nolan’s Six Highest-Grossing Movies

This is the last weekend that we will use OPPENHEIMER as the comparison picture, since THE ODYSSEY has overtaken that film in financial terms. The next battle they will have is during awards season when THE ODYSSEY should have a good chance to equal or exceed OPPENHEIMER’s award total.

THE ODYSSEY vs. OPPENHEIMER after 24 Days

#3 – ONE NIGHT ONLY

ONE NIGHT ONLY, the romantic comedy from Universal Pictures and Olive Bridge Entertainment, landed in third place with $5.7M in its opening weekend. This movie is the latest industry attempt to revitalize the rom-com genre that has sputtered in the post-pandemic era. ANYONE BUT YOU from 2023 is the highest-grossing rom-com in the past six years, earning $88.3M domestically and $220.0M globally. One theory holds that rom-coms are now considered to be “watch-at-home” entertainment rather than worthy of a trip to the cinema. Certainly, the streaming services have obliged by providing a steady flow of original rom-coms, while many features of the genre that have opened in theatres have stayed there only briefly.

Studios have focused their marketing dollars on action films, franchises and effects-heavy big-screen spectacles. In addition, many recent rom-coms have been lacking in major stars with the strong on-screen chemistry that powered the genre during the 1990s and 2000s.

Universal enlisted Will Gluck to direct ONE NIGHT ONLY, banking on his long record of success with EASY A (2010), FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (2011), ANNIE (2014), PETER RABBIT (2018), PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY (2021) and ANYONE BUT YOU (2023). The first draft of the original screenplay was written by Travis Braun, with Gluck later revising it.

The lead role of Allie is taken by Monica Barbaro, who is best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (2024) and supporting character in TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022). Callum Turner plays Owen and previously appeared in FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (2018), FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (2022) and THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (2023). The supporting cast includes Maya Hawke of ASTEROID CITY (2023) and INSIDE OUT 2 (2024); Julia Fox of UNCUT GEMS (2019); Molly Ringwald of SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984), THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) and PRETTY IN PINK (1986); LeVar Burton of STAR TREK: GENERATIONS (1994); Nicholas Braun of ZOLA (2020); musician Este Haim of LICORICE PIZZA (2021); and Ziwe, King Princess, Ben Marshall and Quintessa Swindell.

The story unfolds in an alternate version of America where premarital sex is illegal for 364 days of the year but permitted during a government-sanctioned 12-hour period called “The One Night.” Recently dumped Owen and his hoped-for romantic partner Allie meet while New York’s singles are pursuing their brief encounters. Because both secretly want something more meaningful, they form an unexpected connection. Misunderstandings, separations and increasingly chaotic side trips send them racing across the city, alternating between moving toward and away from each other. The movie combines a conventional romantic comedy storyline with a satirical premise that resembles THE PURGE.

Critics have come down hard on the film, giving it a score of 46% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences are more favorable with a rating of 71%. Here is a sampling of the critics’ reviews. The New York Times said, “With nothing to say about sex or society, the repression plot mostly gets in the way of a movie that would prefer to be a routine romance.” Vulture weighed in with, “The movie is not very good at either romance or comedy.” The New York Post felt, “Quite by accident, Gluck’s routine film ends up resembling so many of the one-night stands it’s about: a fantastic plan at first, but an unsatisfying letdown in the light of day.” One positive review from THE WRAP concludes, “Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro make for a charming couple in a concoction that floats above its PURGE-like setting.”

The film was made for an estimated $25M, which gives it a target of $63M in worldwide box office to be profitable. However, its $5.7M opening weekend is not very encouraging, and the movie will need to maintain its place in theatres for at least a few weeks. ANYONE BUT YOU opened to only $6M and wound up with a domestic multiple of 13 times its first three days. While that is not going to happen for ONE NIGHT ONLY, we still feel that this film has a chance to find its audience over time and approach the $63M break-even point.

For a comparison film, we are using Glick’s ANYONE BUT YOU.

ONE NIGHT ONLY vs. ANYONE BUT YOU

#4 – SUPER TROOPERS 3

SUPER TROOPERS 3, the comedy franchise from Disney, finished in fourth place in its opening weekend by taking in $4.0M. This film is the third entry in a comedic franchise that began 25 years ago after the original SUPER TROOPERS premiered at Sundance. Beginning on February 15, 2002, SUPER TROOPERS earned $6.2M in its opening weekend, $18.5M domestically and $23.2M worldwide. SUPER TROOPERS 2 opened on April 20, 2018, with a surprisingly strong $15.2M in its first weekend and finished its run with $30.6M domestically and $31.6M worldwide. Taken together, these first two SUPER TROOPERS earned $49.1M domestically and $54.8M globally.

The film reunites the five members of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. Jay Chandrasekhar returns as director, co-writer and the character Thorny. He previously directed SUPER TROOPERS (2002), CLUB DREAD (2004), THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (2005), BEERFEST (2006) and SUPER TROOPERS 2 (2018), as well as numerous TV series. Chandrasekhar co-wrote the screenplay with fellow Broken Lizard members Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske, allowing the performers to develop jokes for their well-established characters.

The principal stars are Chandrasekhar as Thorny, Kevin Heffernan as Farva, Steve Lemme as Mac, Paul Soter as Foster and Erik Stolhanske as Rabbit. All five are best known for SUPER TROOPERS (2002), BEERFEST (2006) and SUPER TROOPERS 2 (2018). Brian Cox, best known for BRAVEHEART (1995), THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002) and X2: X-MEN UNITED (2003), returns as Captain O’Hagan. Marisa Coughlan, known for TEACHING MRS. TINGLE (1999) and FREDDY GOT FINGERED (2001), again plays Ursula. Lynda Carter returns as Governor Jessman, while the newcomers include Chace Crawford, Nat Faxon, Andrew Dismukes, Hannah Simone, Iqbal Theba, Sakina Jaffrey, Jon Rudnitsky and Lisa Gilroy.

The plot revolves around the obnoxious Farva becoming engaged to Thorny’s sister in an extravagantly elaborate Indian engagement ceremony. Thorny is horrified by the relationship and devises increasingly ridiculous schemes to break up the couple. At the same time, the troopers are investigating a dangerous new drug ring. The two storylines eventually collide, forcing Thorny, Farva, Mac, Foster and Rabbit to put aside their personal feuds long enough to solve the case, rescue the wedding and create their customary trail of chaos.

Early critical reaction has been largely negative, with a 49% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score. Many reviewers have described it as a fan-focused reunion with some amusing moments but too much recycled, dated and uneven humor. The audience score is 71%.

The first film was produced for approximately $3M, making it profitable on ticket sales alone even before factoring in its substantial home-entertainment revenue. SUPER TROOPERS 2 (2018) cost approximately $13.5M and was partially financed by $4.6M raised from fans. This one is estimated to have cost $15M to produce, projecting out to a target worldwide gross of $38M to reach profitability. The movie faces two important problems. Based upon its opening weekend of $4.0M, it is in danger of fading fast and not even reaching $20M in domestic gross. In addition, the two SUPER TROOPERS movies to date have not done well in foreign markets, with only 10% of total worldwide gross coming from outside the U.S. and Canada.

For obvious reasons, we have chosen to benchmark the new SUPER TROOPERS 3 against SUPER TROOPERS 2 from 2018.

SUPER TROOPERS 3 vs. SUPER TROOPERS 2

#5 – TOY STORY 5

Disney and Pixar’s TOY STORY 5 won’t go away, taking fifth place with $3.9M in its eighth weekend. After 52 days, its box office totals stand at $470.4M domestic and $1.094B globally. This movie has become the highest TOY STORY film in history, and continues to pad its totals every weekend. Last week we reported on many of its achievements, with the thought that it might finally drop out of the top five. In fact, it still finished in fifth place this weekend.

Since TOY STORY 5 opened on June 19^th, 17 new pictures have opened against it, including MINIONS & MONSTERS and MOANA, which were targeted at the same family audience. TOY STORY 5 has even withstood the pressure of the highest-grossing movie opening of all time in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY. TOY STORY movies have a history of playing well in theatres for long runs, and this chapter is no exception. In the four years since we have written our Weekend box office updates, no other film has lasted for eight consecutive weekends in the top five. TOY STORY 5 is still playing in 2,660 theatres, while grossing over $1M per day on weekdays and nearly $5M per day on weekends. Even SPIDER-MAN may not maintain a position in the top five for eight weekends! While streaming services make kids’ fare available at the push of a button on a remote control, the fact that TOY STORY 5 has accomplished this feat is remarkable.

Disney is to be commended for allowing theatres to play TOY STORY 5 at only the most kid-friendly times of the day, in the mornings, afternoons and early evenings without requiring prime time or late showings. Major studios have traditionally required exhibitors to give their films a schedule that includes all showtimes of the day. Had Disney held to this policy, TOY STORY 5 would most likely be playing at fewer than 1,000 theatres, instead of the 2,660 that are playing it currently. This new flexibility is making money for both the studio and exhibitors.

TOY STORY 5 vs. TOY STORY 4 after 45 Days