The Tom Holland-led Marvel and Sony blockbuster delivered one of the strongest sophomore weekends in movie history, ranking third all time for a film’s second weekend. Only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which collected $149 million in 2015, and “Avengers: Endgame,” which earned $147 million in 2019, have posted larger second-weekend totals.
The achievement is even more striking when placed alongside the performance of other major 2026 releases. Only one movie this year, “Toy Story 5,” has earned a comparable amount during its opening weekend, debuting with $159 million.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” Continues Historic Run
Following its record-setting $355 million domestic debut and $932 million worldwide opening, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has now collected $655 million in North America and an enormous $1.67 billion globally.
The superhero adventure crossed the $1 billion worldwide threshold in just six days, putting it on a trajectory that could take it toward the $2 billion mark relatively quickly.
The film’s performance has also sparked a much bigger question: could “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” become the first movie ever to earn $1 billion domestically while also becoming the first film to reach $3 billion worldwide?
“The Force Awakens” currently holds the domestic record with $936.6 million, while “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame” rank among the biggest worldwide releases, with lifetime grosses of approximately $2.9 billion and $2.7 billion, respectively, following re-releases.
If “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” maintains anything close to its current pace, both records could become realistic targets rather than distant possibilities.
Only eight movies have ever crossed the $100 million mark during their second weekend, further illustrating how unusual the film’s performance has been.
“The Odyssey” Becomes Christopher Nolan’s Biggest Movie
While “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” dominated the weekend, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” continued to perform strongly in second place.
The Greek epic collected another $31.5 million domestically in its fourth weekend, representing a relatively modest 38% decline. The film has now earned $461 million in North America and more than $1.1 billion worldwide.
That performance has officially made “The Odyssey” the highest-grossing film of Nolan’s career.
It has surpassed the lifetime global totals of “The Dark Knight Rises,” which earned $1.08 billion, and “The Dark Knight,” which generated $1.008 billion.
The accomplishment is particularly notable given the nature of the film. “The Odyssey” is a nearly three-hour historical epic based on Homer’s ancient poem, with Matt Damon leading an ensemble cast in a sword-and-sandal adventure aimed primarily at adult moviegoers.
Yet audiences have continued turning out in significant numbers.
Imax Gives “The Odyssey” Another Major Record
“The Odyssey” has also become a landmark release for Imax.
The film has generated approximately $289 million in Imax ticket sales, with Imax screenings reportedly sold out well into September. During the weekend, the movie became the highest-grossing Imax release ever, overtaking the lifetime Imax total of “Avatar,” which stood at $271 million.
The film has another major international market ahead of it as well. “The Odyssey” does not open in China until next week, giving the blockbuster another opportunity to expand its already enormous worldwide total.
Universal’s Jim Orr credited Nolan’s relationship with theatrical audiences for the movie’s success.
“Christopher Nolan has earned audiences’ trust by consistently delivering must-see theatrical events,” says Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution. “And ‘The Odyssey’ is him operating at the peak of his powers.”
New Releases Struggle to Compete
With “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey” absorbing much of the weekend’s moviegoing attention, several new nationwide releases struggled to make a major impression.
Universal’s romantic comedy “One Night Only” opened in third place with $5.7 million from 3,012 theaters.
The R-rated film stars Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro and follows two strangers whose paths repeatedly cross around a dystopian version of New York City on the one night each year when premarital sex is legal.
The opening audience was heavily female, with women accounting for approximately 70% of ticket buyers. More than half of the audience was between 18 and 34 years old.
The opening is below expectations, although Universal has reason to remain optimistic. Director Will Gluck previously helmed “Anyone But You,” which opened to just $6 million in December 2023 before becoming a major sleeper hit. That film ultimately earned $88 million domestically and $220 million worldwide.
“One Night Only” also received a respectable “B+” CinemaScore, potentially giving the $25 million production enough audience support to remain in theaters over the coming weeks.
“Super Troopers 3” Posts Franchise-Low Opening
“Super Troopers 3” opened in fourth place with $4 million from 2,760 theaters.
The result represents a significant decline from the previous installments. The original “Super Troopers” opened to $6.2 million in 2001, while “Super Troopers 2” debuted with $15.1 million in 2018.
The comedy franchise follows the chaotic exploits of a group of New England highway patrol officers and is built around the Broken Lizard comedy troupe.
The latest installment has received a mixed response, earning a “B-” CinemaScore and a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Its modest opening suggests that the franchise's fan base may not have been large enough to produce another major theatrical hit.
“Ice Cream Man” Struggles at the Box Office
Eli Roth’s horror film “Ice Cream Man” had an even quieter debut, earning approximately $2 million from 1,671 screens and finishing in eighth place.
The movie arrives from Roth, the filmmaker behind horror titles such as “Hostel” and “The Green Inferno,” as well as the 2024 video-game adaptation “Borderlands.”
Roth reportedly raised the $5.5 million production budget himself and released the movie through his independent company, The Horror Section.
Although the theatrical opening is modest, the independent distribution strategy could allow the film to find an audience through alternative channels after its cinema run.
Indie Films Impress With Strong Theater Averages
While several wide releases struggled, a handful of independent movies produced impressive results in limited release.
A24’s “Tony,” a coming-of-age biographical film about the early life of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, delivered one of the strongest per-screen averages of the year.
The film earned $348,955 from just six theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, translating to an impressive $58,159 per location.
Directed by Matt Johnson and starring Dominic Sessa as the young Bourdain, “Tony” has received positive reviews and will gradually expand before its nationwide release on Aug. 21.
A24 has also been responsible for some of the year's strongest limited-release screen averages, including Charli XCX’s mockumentary “The Moment” and Olivia Wilde’s relationship drama “The Invite.”
However, strong per-screen numbers do not automatically translate into mass-market success. “The Moment” ultimately earned about $5 million worldwide, while “The Invite” has performed more strongly with roughly $42 million and counting.
“Teenage Sex and Death and Camp Miasma” Builds Momentum
Mubi’s “Teenage Sex and Death and Camp Miasma” also made a strong impression in limited release.
The latest film from “I Saw the TV Glow” director Jane Schoenbrun earned $251,000 from five theaters, averaging $50,300 per location.
The horror film stars Hannah Einbinder as a filmmaker hired to direct a reboot of a slasher franchise, with Gillian Anderson also among the cast.
The audience skewed heavily toward younger moviegoers. Nearly 80% of viewers were under 35, while approximately half were under 25, according to exit polling.
Mubi plans to expand the film into 50 additional theaters next weekend before taking it nationwide on Aug. 21.
“Late Fame” Posts a Solid Limited Opening
Kent Jones’ “Late Fame” is playing on an even smaller footprint, screening at only two New York theaters: Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center.
The Willem Dafoe-led drama earned $38,000, translating to $19,000 per location.
The movie follows a former poet who develops a friendship with a group of younger artists, with Dafoe at the center of the story.
Its limited opening provides a small but encouraging start before the film potentially expands to additional markets.
Spidey Faces Little Competition Next Weekend
The domestic box office is set for another busy weekend, with several new wide releases scheduled to arrive.
Warner Bros.’ sci-fi mystery “The End of Oak Street,” starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, will enter theaters alongside Paramount’s “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie” and Black Bear’s “The Rivals of Amziah King,” featuring Matthew McConaughey.
Despite the new competition, however, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” appears to have a commanding advantage.
With $655 million already earned domestically and $1.67 billion worldwide, the Marvel blockbuster is operating on a scale that few movies have ever achieved. Its second-weekend performance has only strengthened the possibility that the film could challenge some of the most formidable box office records in cinema history.
For now, the question is no longer whether “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is a hit. It is how high the film can climb before its theatrical run finally begins to slow.