Spider-Man Reaches $2.4 Billion Worldwide as Hollywood Caps Its Best Summer Since the Pandemic
Key Takeaways
- •'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' earned an estimated $18 million domestically to lead the box office for a sixth consecutive weekend and has grossed $2.4 billion worldwide.
- •Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' added $13 million domestically and surpassed $1 billion in international grosses, a first for any film since 2009's 'Avatar,' bringing its global total to $1.63 billion.
- •The domestic summer box office is projected to finish at $4.759 billion, slightly above the 2013 record, though this year's summer spans 130 days versus 123 in 2013 and admissions remain below pre-pandemic levels.
- •Ketchup Entertainment's 'Coyote vs. Acme,' acquired for about $50 million after Warner Bros. shelved it, grossed $11.3 million in its second weekend for a two-week domestic total of $33.8 million.
- •The low-budget dark comedy 'Buddy,' made for $3 million, rose 5% in its second weekend to $5.7 million, reaching $14.3 million domestically.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” held on to the No. 1 spot at the box office over the weekend, becoming only the second film this decade to lead ticket sales for six consecutive weeks.
The Sony superhero release has dominated cinemas with rare authority since the end of July. The last movie to enjoy such an extended run at the top was 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” “Brand New Day,” the fourth standalone Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland, took in $18 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates issued Sunday. Sony is forecasting $23.3 million for the four-day holiday weekend.
Worldwide, “Brand New Day” has grossed $2.4 billion — a total that places it among the highest-grossing films of all time, in the territory of franchises like “Avengers: Infinity War” and the original “Avatar.”
Universal Pictures’ “The Odyssey,” as it has through much of the “Spider-Man” run, stayed in second place. Christopher Nolan’s epic added $13 million domestically over the weekend, pushing its global total to $1.63 billion. More than $1 billion of that has come from overseas sales, making “The Odyssey” the first film to reach that international milestone since 2009’s “Avatar.”
Together, the two blockbusters helped deliver Hollywood its best summer since before the pandemic. Through Aug. 31, the domestic box office totaled $4.6 billion for the season, according to Rentrak, up 26.1% from 2025 and just short of 2013’s record summer.
On Sunday, Rentrak forecast that, including the Labor Day weekend, the summer would finish with $4.759 billion — a whisker above the $4.758 billion of summer 2013. This year’s summer window, however, spans 130 days, compared with 123 days in 2013. Adjusted for inflation and higher ticket prices, the season was not quite as historically sensational as the raw figures suggest, and admissions remain well below pre-pandemic levels. Still, it marks a remarkable rebound for an industry that has struggled to assemble such a hit-filled summer amid the pandemic, labor strife, and the rise of streaming.
Labor Day weekend is traditionally quiet in theaters, and neither of the new wide releases — Paramount’s “By Any Means” and A24’s “Onslaught” — made much of an impression. One of the weekend’s strongest performers was “Coyote vs. Acme,” the hybrid live-action-animated Looney Tunes movie, which dipped a modest 29% to gross $11.3 million in its second weekend.
The film is proving a sound investment for Ketchup Entertainment. The indie distributor acquired it for approximately $50 million after Warner Bros., which produced the $70 million movie, opted to shelve it. Buoyed by strong reviews and good word-of-mouth, “Coyote vs. Acme” has reached $33.8 million domestically in two weeks.
“By Any Means,” a civil rights action thriller set in the 1960s and starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, opened with $7.4 million. Paramount is projecting $9.2 million for the four-day holiday weekend, and audiences awarded it a “B+” CinemaScore.
“Onslaught” flopped, earning $1.9 million on 1,918 screens over the three-day weekend, with a projection of $2.3 million for the four-day frame. The A24 release, directed by Adam Wingard, stars Adria Arjona as a former Army sniper defending her trailer-park home from three escaped, experimental super soldiers. The film cost a modest $15 million to make, but neither its reviews (57% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) nor its audience scores (a “C” CinemaScore) were favorable.
Meanwhile, “Buddy,” a low-budget dark comedy, has become a surprise success. Made for just $3 million and directed by Casper Kelly with the producers of “Weapons,” the film follows a group of children trapped inside a surreal 1990s children’s television series. After overperforming in its debut, “Buddy” actually grew its ticket sales in its second weekend, grossing $5.7 million, up 5%, for a two-week total of $14.3 million — a rare second-week climb that typically signals sustained word-of-mouth.
Final domestic figures are due Monday. The following list reflects estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:
- “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” $18 million.
- “The Odyssey,” $13 million.
- “Coyote vs. Acme,” $11.3 million.
- “By Any Means,” $7.4 million.
- “Insidious: Out of the Further,” $6.5 million.
- “Cars” (20th anniversary), $6.1 million.
- “Buddy,” $5.7 million.
- “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie,” $3.3 million.
- “The End of Oak Street,” $2.9 million.
- “The Dog Stars,” $2.7 million.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.
