While the web-slinger continues to dominate the worldwide market, the domestic landscape is also shifting rapidly. Spider-Man Brand New Day added $22 million to its North American total this weekend, pushing its U.S. and Canada earnings to a massive $891 million. The film now sits just $45 million shy of the unadjusted all-time domestic record of $936 million, a benchmark held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens since 2015. Achieving that record would cap off one of the most remarkable theatrical runs in cinematic history.
Spider-Man Brand New Day Rules August
The Marvel film has maintained an iron grip on the domestic market throughout the entire month of August. It claimed the number one spot every single day, with only one minor exception. On August 21, the superhero tentpole briefly ceded the top position to fellow Sony release Insidious: Out of the Further, which opened that day to capitalize on late-summer horror demand. Otherwise, the film has been completely unstoppable, fending off all challengers and proving that superhero fatigue is not impacting Peter Parker’s latest adventure.
Coyote vs Acme Defies the Odds in Second Place
Climbing into the second spot this weekend is Ketchup Entertainment and Warner Animation Group’s Coyote vs Acme. The live-action and animation hybrid feature pulled in an estimated $15.4 million from 3,573 locations. This debut marks a remarkable turnaround for a project that nearly faced erasure. Originally produced on a $60 million budget and slated for a 2023 release, Warner Bros. nearly shelved the film permanently for a tax break following its controversial merger with Discovery.
Following intense social media backlash from passionate Looney Tunes fans, Ketchup Entertainment stepped in and purchased the distribution rights for $50 million. Despite operating with a significantly smaller marketing budget than it would have received under Warner Bros. and facing an end-of-summer release window, audiences and critics are embracing the film. Coyote vs Acme boasts a stellar 95% critics score and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It also earned an A grade on CinemaScore, joining The Iron Giant and The Lego Movie as the only Warner Bros.-produced animated films to achieve that prestigious mark.
Global Box Office Update: The Odyssey and Insidious
Universal’s The Odyssey slipped to third place in its seventh weekend, earning $14.3 million domestically and $48.6 million overseas. The film’s domestic total now stands at $563.8 million, while its global box office haul has surged past $1.5 billion. By crossing the unadjusted $1.51 billion total of Furious 7, The Odyssey is now officially Universal’s second highest-grossing movie in history. The studio will be watching closely, as the film needs roughly $120 million more to surpass Jurassic World and claim the all-time studio record.
In fourth place, Insidious: Out of the Further grossed $10.1 million in its second weekend. This represents a 60% drop from its opening frame. The $18 million co-production from Screen Gems, Stage 6, Blumhouse, and Atomic Monster has now amassed $43.6 million domestically and $110 million worldwide, making it a solid genre performer against its modest budget.
The Dog Stars Crashes on Landing
Rounding out the top five is 20th Century’s The Dog Stars, which experienced a turbulent launch. The post-apocalyptic drama, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, opened to a dismal $8 million domestically and $19.8 million globally. Produced for a hefty $70 million budget, the film has effectively become a late-summer box office bomb. Weak critical and audience reception certainly played a role in the poor performance. The film earned a C+ on CinemaScore alongside a 40% critics score and a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that even star power could not save this apocalyptic tale.
What Happens Next
As the summer movie season draws to a close, all eyes remain firmly fixed on the global box office summit. Spider-Man Brand New Day is virtually guaranteed to pass Avatar 2, but the real question is whether it can hunt down Star Wars: The Force Awakens to claim the unadjusted domestic crown. Meanwhile, Coyote vs Acme will look to leverage its stellar word-of-mouth and the upcoming Labor Day weekend to build momentum and prove that fan campaigns can save movies. Finally, The Odyssey continues its slow march toward Universal’s record books, needing just one more strong international push to dethrone Jurassic World and cement its own legacy in studio history.
— Lucas Berg, entertainment desk, AXO News