“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “Odyssey.”
Sony (left) | Universal (R)
Hollywood has set a new summer record.
Domestic box office revenue from May 1st to September 7th was $4.76 billion, the highest grossing movie in history.
The important movie season, which begins the first weekend in May and continues through Labor Day weekend, is a vital part of the theatrical calendar and typically accounts for 40% of the annual domestic box office gross.
The previous summer record was set in 2013 when the following films were released: disney And Marvel’s “Iron Man 3.” illumination “Despicable Me 2” warner bros“Man of Steel,” Pixar’s “Monsters University” and Universal’s “Fast & Furious 6” led the period to $4.75 billion.
What supported the 2026 season was sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and Universal’s “Odyssey” together contributed more than $1.5 billion, or 30%, to the summer tally.
It also helped that ticket sales were extended for a week. Summer 2013 started on May 3rd and ended on September 2nd, which was 7 days shorter.
“This should serve as a blueprint for future summers,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak. “One film doesn’t have to carry the whole season. We need event pictures, family films, breakout surprises, and independent films that work together to bring people back. This summer showed what that combination can do.”
The summer 2026 box office ended nearly 10% earlier than 2019, according to Rentrak data. This year was the year before ticket sales were halted due to the coronavirus and before streaming really took a toll on moviegoing.
The strong performance puts year-to-date box office revenue in 2026 just 7.5%, or $595 million, below pre-pandemic metrics, reaffirming box office analysts’ predictions that full-year box office revenue could top $10 billion for the first time in seven years.
Heading into the summer movie season, 2026 sales were 24% behind 2019, or about $830 million, according to Rentrak.
Box office revenues are up this year, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
The changing landscape of movies
While movie theater operators, studios and analysts are celebrating a strong summer that they say has returned to pre-pandemic normalcy, the dynamics of the industry are shifting.
The post-pandemic era in the theater industry is defined by fewer screens, fewer movie audiences, and fewer movies.
Although theaters remain crowded, the number of auditoriums has declined and attendance remains nearly 2.5 billion below 2019 levels, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.
And fewer and fewer movies can be seen on the big screen. So far in 2026, only 68 movies have had a wide release, meaning they were released or ended up in more than 2,000 theaters, according to Rentrak data. This is a 14% decrease compared to the same period in 2019, when 79 films were widely released.
These declines have been masked by soaring movie ticket prices due to Premium Large Format (PLF) experiences, which are particularly popular with Gen Z and Millennials.
The average price of a movie ticket in 2019 was $9.16, according to exhibition trade group Cinema United. According to EntTelligence market research, the average price of a flight ticket in 2026 is $12.75. And that’s just for standard screening.
According to data from EntTelligence, the average PLF ticket is approximately $18.26. imax This number is skewed because the average ticket price is $20.57.
Viewers tend to opt for these more expensive PLF screenings, but aren’t put off by the price just yet. Tickets for specialty screenings like Imax’s 70mm screening of “The Odyssey” and the upcoming “Dune: Part 3” are always sold out.
Demand for premium screenings is so high that studios are getting creative when marketing their films.
Disney, for example, will be barred from IMAX screens when “Avengers: Doomsday” is released on the same day as the third installment “Dune” in December. In response, the company created a certification for PLF theaters that it calls “Infinity Vision.” Basically, Disney promotes movie theaters with big screens, “bright images and great sound.”
“When you see the Infinity Vision badge, you know you’re in for a great theatrical experience,” the company advertises on its certification website.
Disney said Wednesday at Goldman Sachs’ Commune Capia+ Technology Conference that the film has already raised more than $50 million in advance sales. The company noted that more than 70% of its sales come from Infinity Vision tickets.
What are movie fans watching?
At the same time that audiences are seeing blockbusters on the biggest screens, the theater industry is also seeing a return of moviegoers looking for lower-budget genre films.
It’s worth noting that this summer movie season didn’t start off with big-budget action movies and superhero team-ups. Instead, the first big hit of the season was the release of Disney’s The Devil Wears Prada 2. This was followed by two low-budget horror films from the YouTuber-turned-filmmaker: Universal’s Obsession and A24’s Backrooms.
Ticket sales for Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” which was released in April, continued to gain momentum. Then, in mid-June, “Toy Story 5” was released. Together, these five films generated more than $1.4 billion at the summer box office.
“This summer demonstrated the importance of a consistent flow of engaging content that appeals to a variety of moviegoers, coupled with the unique appeal of larger-than-life, immersive environments that movie theaters offer,” said Justin McDaniel, senior vice president of global content. Cinemarkthe theater chain said in a statement last week ahead of the Labor Day weekend, after the movie theater chain surpassed previous summer box office records.
The Marcus Theater, the fourth largest theater in North America, also had a record summer. The company noted that not only did summer revenue hit an all-time high, but sales of concessions, merchandise, food and beverages also hit all-time highs. It also recorded the highest summer attendance since 2019, and the highest attendance for premium large-format screens for the summer, Marcus said.
“The incredible attendance for a wide variety of films created unique memory-making moments for every audience member, from tears to laughter, thrills and chills, that can’t be recreated at home,” Marcus Theaters president Jeff Tomachek said in a statement Tuesday. “As we look to the rest of the year, several new and highly anticipated films await, giving movie fans even more reasons to enjoy a great time at the movies with friends and family.”
In addition to the two releases “Dune: Part 3” and “Avengers: Doomsday” (dubbed “Dunesday”), the final four months of 2026 will include a number of horror films such as “Resident Evil,” “Clayface” and “The Other Mummy,” as well as lower-budget genre films such as “Practical Magic 2,” “Digger,” “The Wicker” and “Verity.” Bigger budget films such as “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” “Hexed,” and “Jumanji: Open World.”
