Spider-Man: Brand New Day Dominates Box Office for Six Weeks

New York — The summer’s most‑watched superhero, “Spider‑Man: Brand New Day,” held firm at the top of the domestic box office this weekend, chalking up its sixth straight week in the #1 spot. That puts it in a tiny club – the only other film this decade to manage such a run was 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

According to Sony’s own estimates, the Tom Holland‑led adventure pulled in about $18 million over the three‑day weekend. With the Labor Day holiday added, the studio is banking on roughly $23.3 million for the four‑day stretch. All told, the movie now boasts a worldwide gross north of $2.4 billion.

Trailing in second place is Universal’s sprawling epic “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s latest saga that added $13 million domestically this weekend. Its global tally has swelled to $1.63 billion, with more than $1 billion coming from overseas markets – the first film to cross that mark since the original “Avatar.”

These two blockbusters helped push the domestic summer box‑office to $4.6 billion through Aug. 31, a 26.1 % jump over the same period last year and just shy of the 2013 record. Rentrak now projects the whole season, Labor Day included, will close at $4.759 billion – a hair above the 2013 total, though spread across a longer 130‑day run.

Still, it’s worth remembering that ticket sales remain well below the pre‑pandemic peaks once inflation and higher prices are taken into account. The industry has been clawing its way back from a perfect storm of streaming, labor disputes and the lingering effects of COVID‑19, so the rebound is still noteworthy.

The Labor Day weekend is usually a lull for new releases, and this year was no exception. Paramount’s “By Any Means,” a 1960s‑set civil‑rights thriller starring Mark Wahlberg, opened modestly with $7.4 million and is expected to reach about $9.2 million over the holiday. A24’s “Onslaught,” a low‑budget horror‑action hybrid, faltered, pulling just $1.9 million on nearly 2,000 screens.

One of the brighter spots was the quirky family‑friendly fare “Coyote vs. Acme.” The live‑action/animation mash‑up slipped 29 % to $11.3 million in its second weekend, but it’s proving to be a solid return for Ketchup Entertainment, which bought the film for roughly $50 million after Warner Bros. passed on it. In two weeks it’s already racked up $33.8 million domestically.

Meanwhile, the micro‑budget comedy “Buddy” – made for a mere $3 million – is turning heads. Directed by Casper Kelly, the surreal dark comedy about kids trapped inside a ’90s TV show saw its second‑week earnings actually rise 5 % to $5.7 million, taking its two‑week total to $14.3 million.

Here’s how the weekend’s top‑ten shaped up, according to Rentrak’s estimates for Friday‑Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theatres:

• 1. “Spider‑Man: Brand New Day” – $18 million
• 2. “The Odyssey” – $13 million
• 3. “Coyote vs. Acme” – $11.3 million
• 4. “By Any Means” – $7.4 million
• 5. “Insidious: Out of the Further” – $6.5 million
• 6. “Cars” (20th anniversary) – $6.1 million
• 7. “Buddy” – $5.7 million
• 8. “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie” – $3.3 million
• 9. “The End of Oak Street” – $2.9 million
• 10. “The Dog Stars” – $2.7 million

All in all, Hollywood is ending what may become the first post‑pandemic summer that feels, if not historic, at least genuinely busy.