Movie theatres had a weekend to brag about.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opened with $355 million domestically, the second-biggest opening weekend in domestic box office history. Combined with another $51 million for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” the two films pushed the weekend to $406 million, making it the biggest box office weekend ever.
“It reminds me a bit of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, where you had two movies creating this fervor around moviegoing, and that plays very well,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at box office analytics company Rentrak.
Their combined total beat the previous record tied to “Avengers: Endgame,” which opened to $357 million in 2019.
Sony and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” also posted a huge global debut, taking in $927 million in its opening weekend. The film is the fourth installment in the Tom Holland-led version of the franchise within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The movie also posted a 90 percent critic approval score and a 98 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Interest in “The Odyssey” also ran high. Many fans bought tickets more than a year in advance, while others sought resold tickets or opted for 2 a.m. screenings.
Dergarabedian said the results show movie theatres have turned a corner after years of lower post-pandemic attendance, Hollywood labor strikes and the growing dominance of streaming.
In recent years, theatres have also drawn audiences by turning releases into social events, with themed merchandise and chances to dress up.
“It’s unbelievable, when you think about it, that we could even get to a number like this,” Dergarabedian said. “I never thought we’d see another $400 million weekend overall, and I never thought we’d see another $300 million opener domestically. It seemed like an insurmountable mountain to climb.”
He said the performance of the two films caps an “incredible” year for theatres overall. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” “Michael” and “Toy Story 5” have each grossed more than $1 billion, while smaller films like “Obsession” and “Backrooms” have also helped drive interest in moviegoing, particularly among young people.
All of that points to a likely $4 billion summer and a $10 billion year, Dergarabedian said, which could make 2026 the highest-grossing summer and highest-grossing year since 2019.
“The movie theater has become like the go-to outside-the-home place for entertainment, and there’s no denying it,” he said. “So many people have counted out the movie theater for so long. I think this puts to rest any notion that people don’t want to go to the movie theater. They absolutely do.”
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