‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ Dominate Box Office in 2026

Late summer at the multiplex has transformed into an extraordinary spectacle this year, with two of 2026’s most significant theatrical events fiercely competing against each other even weeks into their respective runs. What’s happening at the global box office now resembles less of a typical late-August lull and more of a heavyweight title fight between two franchises operating on a historic scale.

This showdown features Sony and Marvel’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘ going head-to-head with Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,‘ two films that have spent much of the summer trading blows atop worldwide charts. Both movies have continued to add impressive sums to their totals well beyond their opening weekends, which is a rarity for films this deep into their theatrical runs.

This weekend’s numbers only intensified that rivalry further. ‘Brand New Day’ extended its fifth session to a global total of $2.33 billion, divided between $1.44 billion internationally and $891.5 million domestically, making it the fourth highest-grossing movie ever at the worldwide box office. Meanwhile, ‘The Odyssey’ has reached $1.55 billion globally, with $988.7 million from international markets and $563.8 million domestically, marking Nolan’s best performance as a filmmaker.

This combined international strength has placed Universal in genuinely rare company. The studio’s earnings from ‘The Odyssey’ helped push it past the $3 billion mark overseas, making Universal the first studio in 2026 to cross that threshold at the international box office. It’s only the third time any studio has achieved this feat since 2019, and the third time specifically that Universal has reached this milestone.

While Sony and Universal have been trading box office records, Disney and 20th Century’s ‘The Dog Stars’ faced a tough fate by comparison. Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic thriller starring Jacob Elordi managed a global total of just $19 million, a stark contrast to the historic numbers being posted by its late-summer competition.

This disparity highlights just how unusual this particular box office moment has become. Two films from different studios, genres, and release strategies are both performing at franchise-best or career-best levels simultaneously, a rare occurrence even during a strong summer season.

Universal’s overall performance in 2026 has also been remarkable beyond just ‘The Odyssey.’ The studio previously became the first to cross $4 billion worldwide this year, and with ‘The Odyssey’ still climbing toward the billion-dollar domestic mark, Universal’s year-to-date global numbers show no signs of slowing as the calendar moves toward fall.

With both ‘Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ still in wide release and showing no significant signs of fatigue, the battle for box office supremacy is likely to continue for at least a few more weekends.

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