'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' keeps record pace, ‘The Odyssey' sets new high for Nolan

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” maintained its strong run at the box office, earning USD 144.5 million in the US and Canada during its second weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

The Sony-Marvel film has now grossed USD 1.67 billion worldwide in just 10 days. Its domestic haul stands at USD 655.1 million, while international earnings have crossed USD 1 billion.

The film became the year's highest-grossing movie after just seven days, overtaking “Toy Story 5”, which had earned USD 1.07 billion globally.

No Sony film had previously crossed USD 100 million in its second weekend. “Brand New Day” also came close to breaking the record for the biggest second weekend, held by “The Force Awakens” with USD 149.2 million in 2015.

‘The Odyssey’ becomes Nolan’s biggest film

Christopher Nolan's “The Odyssey” crossed the USD 1 billion mark globally in its fourth weekend. The Universal Pictures release added USD 31.5 million domestically, taking its worldwide total to USD 1.1 billion.

The milestone makes it Nolan's first billion-dollar film since “The Dark Knight Rises” in 2012. It has also become his highest-grossing film ever without adjusting for inflation, surpassing “The Dark Knight Rises” at USD 1.08 billion and “The Dark Knight” at USD 1 billion.

“Oppenheimer”, meanwhile, finished with USD 975 million.

IMAX adds to ‘The Odyssey’ success

IMAX has played a major role in the film's theatrical performance. “The Odyssey” has earned USD 147.3 million domestically through IMAX screenings, making it the format's highest-grossing domestic release ever.

China remains a major market for the film, with its release scheduled for Friday.

Hollywood heads for strongest post-pandemic year

The success of the two blockbusters has helped Hollywood record its strongest box-office year since the pandemic. According to Rentrak, ticket sales are currently 18.5% ahead of last year.

Five films have already crossed USD 1 billion globally, the highest number since 2019. “Michael” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” are among the other billion-dollar releases.

Rentrak expects summer theatrical revenue to cross USD 4 billion on Monday. The figure was just USD 14.8 million short of that mark through Sunday.

New comedies struggle at the box office

New comedy releases failed to make much of an impact. “One Night Only”, directed by Will Gluck and starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner, opened with USD 5.7 million.

Fox Searchlight's “Super Troopers 3” debuted in fourth place with USD 4 million.

Limited releases performed better on a per-theatre basis. A24's “Tony”, starring Dominic Sessa as Anthony Bourdain, earned USD 348,955 across six theatres, while Mubi's “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” averaged USD 50,300 across five screens.