1. Spider-Man: Brand New Day — £36,405,318 — new entry

Opening breakdown

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened with £36,405,318, including £12.91m from previews, equal to 35.5% of its total opening.
• Preview takings were £5.82m on Wednesday and £7.09m on Thursday.
• The weekend split was £7.85m on Friday, £8.35m on Saturday and £7.72m on Sunday.
• It added £4.84m on Monday and £4.25m on Tuesday.

Historic ranking

• It delivered the UK’s biggest opening since Spider-Man: No Way Home.
• On headline figures, it ranks as the third-biggest UK opening, between Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
• In inflation-adjusted terms, it ranks fifth, between Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
• Because previews made up a large share of the total, the more useful comparison is with three-day openings. On that basis, it ranks fourth, between Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Avengers: Infinity War.

Its five-day UK opening was equal to 10.1% of the US opening, while its three-day comparison was 6.53%. That is more than three percentage points below Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Infinity War, and around one point below Spider-Man: No Way Home. This suggests Brand New Day could be more front-loaded than those films.

Admissions and cinema footprint

• Brand New Day delivered the fifth-biggest Saturday on record in the UK.
• Using the industry average ticket price of £8.01, cinemas are likely to claim around 4.5m admissions.
• That headline admissions estimate should be treated cautiously, because the real average ticket price paid was probably higher, especially given premium formats and peak pricing.
• Countit estimated 1.9m admissions, a much lower figure that exhibitors are likely to dispute.
• The largest-grossing cinemas were led by Cineworld O2, which took more than £100k above Vue Westfield Stratford.
• The film opened in 703 cinemas, making it the 48th-widest UK opening.
• That footprint was broadly in line with releases such as Michael, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Belfast, F1 and Toy Story 5.
• It was the 54th film to open in at least 700 cinemas since Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017.
• Across multiplexes, the screen count was likely far higher than the cinema count suggests, with many sites running more than 50 shows a day and the film probably playing on more than 2,500 screens.

Audience profile and urgency

• In the UK, 12-24-year-olds made up 51% of the audience, while 25-44-year-olds accounted for 35%.
• That was younger than the US profile, where 25-44-year-olds made up 42% and 12-24-year-olds 36%.
• The UK skew suggests a strong opening-weekend rush driven by FOMO, spoilers and fan urgency.
• That usually points to a sharp second-weekend drop, although Brand New Day may hold better because it plays as more than a conventional comic-book film.

Presales and cinema-chain demand

• Vue said Friday presales had surpassed its previous biggest advance-ticket seller of the year by more than 90%.
• The chain expected more than 200,000 customers across the UK during the first 24 hours of release.
• For Spider-Man: No Way Home, Odeon sold more than 400,000 presale tickets, while Vue sold more than 150,000, five times its previous benchmark.
• No Way Home also broke presale records at Cineworld, underlining how intense advance demand can become for a major Spider-Man event.

Release timing and competitive context

• No Way Home had a cleaner runway: In December 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home dominated the market, accounting for 93% of the box office and then playing through the Christmas period with little direct competition.
• Brand New Day faced a busier market: Its opening came while The Odyssey was still holding strongly in its third weekend, giving audiences another major event film to choose from.
• The school-holiday pattern was different: No Way Home opened as the Christmas holidays began, while Brand New Day arrived after the summer school break was already underway.
• Takeaway: Brand New Day opened bigger, but it did so in a more crowded and less perfectly timed release window than No Way Home.

The marketing machine

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the fourth film in the MCU Spider-Man series and the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• It arrived as the second Tom Holland-Zendaya film in three weeks, following The Odyssey.
• Zendaya has had an especially busy year, with The Drama, The Odyssey, Brand New Day and the upcoming Dune Part 3.
• Tom Holland will also return in Avengers: Doomsday, which opens in December.

Trailer reach and promotional build-up

• The first trailer was released in March and generated 718.6m views in 24 hours, almost double the 365m achieved by 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
• Within four days, the trailer had passed 1.1bn views.
• The second trailer followed in June and generated 590.8m views.
• The first 18 minutes were shown at CineEurope, giving exhibitors an early look at the film’s scale.
• A World Cup knockout-stage promotional video featured Lionel Messi meeting Peter Parker in a café while using the “Spidey Tracker” app to search for Spider-Man.

Why the hype converted into box office

• No Way Home carried enormous pent-up demand: it arrived two years after the previous Spider-Man film and after a mixed run of MCU titles.
• It also felt like the first true post-COVID “return to cinemas” event after No Time To Die.
• Most importantly, it functioned as a Spider-Man greatest-hits film, bringing together the three modern Spider-Men.
• I predicted last Wednesday that Brand New Day would open with around £35m across its five-day launch.
• The reasoning was straightforward: huge hype, wall-to-wall media coverage, excellent reviews, a fanbase desperate to avoid spoilers, and strong advance sales from Wednesday evening onward.
• Vue Westfield remains my preferred sample cinema because it is one of the UK’s highest-grossing locations and gives a useful read on demand.

I was surprised by the lower estimates from Pearl & Dean in the UK, and from Sony and Deadline for the US and worldwide markets. They sat well below the expectations of fans on Reddit and specialist box-office forums, many of whom had been tracking presales across selected cinemas and appeared to have a clearer read on demand.

Spider-Man reaches beyond the usual comic-book audience. In the same way that Obsession worked as a horror film for people who do not normally watch horror, Brand New Day plays as more than a superhero film. Both films use genre packaging to tell a more human story underneath.

Brand New Day is ultimately about Peter Parker learning the difference between independence and isolation. He begins the film convinced that being Spider-Man means carrying every burden alone, partly because he has grown up around heroes such as Tony Stark, whose confidence, technology and wealth can make self-sufficiency look effortless. But Tony’s example is misleading: beneath the armour and bravado, he still depended on Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, the Avengers and the people who kept him grounded. Peter’s growth comes from recognising that support is not a threat to his heroism. He does not need people because he is weak; he needs them because responsibility becomes impossible when it is carried in complete isolation.

Brand New Day ultimately reminded me of About a Boy. At the start, Will believes he can live entirely on his own terms because he does not need anyone. By the end, he understands the old truth that no man is an island. Peter’s journey follows a similar emotional pattern: he has to learn that connection is not a burden on his independence, but the thing that makes responsibility bearable.

The fanbase context

The opening also benefited from a gap in the market for 12+ audiences. Recent releases such as Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Masters of the Universe, Supergirl and Disclosure Day had not become must-see events for younger cinemagoers, leaving that audience without a major reason to return to cinemas for several months. Spider-Man: Brand New Day filled that space: a familiar, spoiler-sensitive event film that gave them a clear reason to show up on opening weekend.

The reason No Way Home opened so strongly was simple: it played like an Avengers film. It had the scale, crossover appeal and event status of an ensemble MCU title, rather than the narrower pull of a standard comic-book sequel. The earlier comic-book releases after Far From Home were effectively warm-ups: they spoke mainly to committed genre fans, while No Way Home reached the wider audience that usually turns out for an Avengers-level event.

A similar pent-up energy surrounded Brand New Day before release. Apart from Deadpool & Wolverine, the recent MCU run had struggled to generate the same urgency, which made Spider-Man feel like the first essential Marvel event in some time. Crucially, it also gave audiences a reason to think beyond this film: by feeding into Avengers: Doomsday, Brand New Day worked as both a standalone Spider-Man event and a bridge to December’s larger MCU crossover. Opening Doomsday bookings in the US last week reinforced that sense of continuity, keeping the conversation moving from Spider-Man’s opening weekend toward the next major Marvel event.

Even though Brand New Day is the 38th MCU film, Spider-Man remains one of the easiest Marvel characters for new audiences to follow. The challenge is that MCU Spider-Man films are also used to seed future storylines, bringing in characters whose histories sit outside Peter Parker’s immediate world. Viewers unfamiliar with Yelena Belova, The Punisher, The Hulk or Jean Grey may not catch every layer of backstory, but the film still works because Peter’s emotional journey remains clear.

For viewers who grew up with the 20^th Century Fox X-Men films, the Jean Grey reveal lands on memory as much as plot. The audience recognises her importance before Peter can, creating a quiet dramatic irony: we understand that this is not simply another stranger entering his life, but the first sign that a much larger world is beginning to close in around him. That irony works in several ways. Peter sees a new person; the audience sees a legacy character. Peter hears another name; the audience hears the beginning of the X-Men entering the MCU. Peter believes he is still dealing with his own isolated story; the audience understands that his world is already being folded into a much bigger Marvel future. That gives the scene a different emotional charge. Peter experiences it as an ordinary encounter, while the audience feels the tension of what he does not yet know.

The Spider-Man franchise history

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the ninth Sony-produced Spider-Man film since 2002. Its UK box-office story is best understood in three eras, moving from the Raimi/Maguire launch, through the Webb/Garfield reboot, and into the MCU-driven Tom Holland years.

• Sam Raimi / Tobey Maguire trilogy: The original cycle established Spider-Man as a major UK box-office brand, with Spider-Man opening on £9.4m, Spider-Man 2 on £8.7m and Spider-Man 3 on £11.8m.
• Marc Webb / Andrew Garfield reboot: The reboot kept the franchise commercially active, although at a steadier level: The Amazing Spider-Man opened with £11m, while The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opened with £9m.
• MCU / Tom Holland era: The Holland films turned the series into a true event franchise, rising from Spider-Man: Homecoming on £9.3m to Far From Home on £14.1m, No Way Home on £31.9m and Brand New Day on £36.4m.

No Way Home: the breakout benchmark

• Spider-Man: No Way Home became the breakout benchmark for the modern UK Spider-Man franchise, opening with £31,899,232.
• That figure included £12,388,380 from Wednesday and Thursday previews, with £7.6m taken on Wednesday and £4.7m on Thursday.
• Friday then added £6.23m, lifting the film to £18.6m by the end of its third day, before a further £12.7m across Saturday and Sunday.
• It ultimately reached £95,994,961/£102,249,952, establishing a new UK ceiling for the series.
• Its timing also mattered. After the mixed MCU run of Black Widow, Shang-Chi and Eternals, No Way Home restored urgency around the wider franchise ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The Tom Holland build-up

• Spider-Man: Far From Home opened with £14,148,624/£15,696,742 in 2019, boosted by £5.75m from Tuesday-to-Thursday previews.
• Far From Home went on to finish with £37,037,828/£41,090,444, confirming a clear step up from Homecoming before the much larger breakout of No Way Home.
• The film benefited from being the first MCU release after Avengers: Endgame, giving it a direct link to the franchise’s biggest cinematic moment.
• Spider-Man: Homecoming opened with £9,369,166 in 2017 and finished with £30,380,216.
• Homecoming had its own built-in advantage: it arrived a year after Spider-Man’s MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, which had reintroduced the character to the shared-universe audience.

The human story: imposter syndrome

• Brand New Day reaches beyond the usual superhero audience because its appeal is not just action or franchise mythology.
• At its centre is a lonely Peter Parker trying to understand who he is without a team, a support system or anyone who remembers him.
• The marketing line, “There is a hero in all of us”, works because the film treats Peter’s vulnerability as the source of his heroism, not a weakness to overcome.
• Tom Holland has described this as “the darkest chapter” of Peter’s life.
• Peter is alone, forgotten and forced to carry the weight of every decision by himself.
• That emotional isolation gives the film broader resonance than a standard comic-book sequel.

Why Peter’s insecurity resonates

“I do not deserve this.”	Everyone has felt that way.
“I have to prove myself.”	Everyone has tried too hard.
“I am not good enough.”	Everyone has doubted themselves.
“I will mess it up.”	Everyone has been afraid of failure.

• Peter’s insecurity works because it is specific enough to feel personal, but broad enough for audiences to recognise in themselves.
• His doubts are not abstract superhero problems; they are everyday fears about belonging, failure and not being enough.
• The film makes those feelings visible through a character who is powerful in public but emotionally uncertain in private.
• That contrast is what gives Spider-Man his emotional reach: he can save people, but he still needs reassurance, connection and support.

Spider-Man is not simply a power fantasy. He is a vulnerability fantasy: scared, insecure, overburdened and still trying to do the right thing. That is why Peter remains one of the most relatable superheroes.

The Obsession parallel

Obsession is a film about toxic masculinity disguised as horror. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a film about imposter syndrome disguised as a superhero blockbuster. Both use genre to make a psychological story more accessible.

Obsession uses horror conventions to explore toxic masculinity, rejection and entitlement.Spider-Man: Brand New Day uses superhero spectacle to explore imposter syndrome, loneliness and self-doubt.Both films make difficult emotional material easier to access by wrapping it in familiar genre language.The key difference is framing: Bear’s insecurity becomes dangerous, while Peter’s insecurity is treated sympathetically because he is trying to do the right thing.That contrast helps explain why Brand New Day can reach audiences beyond the usual comic-book crowd.                            Obsession	Spider-Man: Brand New Day
The Genre        Horror                                           Superhero / Comic-book
The Disguise    A supernatural thriller                   A blockbuster franchise
The Real Story  Toxic masculinity                         Imposter syndrome
The Protagonist Bear a man who cannot accept rejection Peter a man who does not think he is good enough.
The Love Interest Andy, a woman who sees him as a friend        MJ, a woman who does not see him that way.
The Framing     Creepy, dangerous                        Sympathetic, tragic
The only difference is framing. Peter is a hero. Bear is a villain. The actions are the same.

Why this matters

The film may have been underestimated because the industry misread what it was selling. Studios and trackers saw a comic-book film and projected a comic-book audience. What they missed was a human story about loneliness, self-doubt and the fear of not being enough, themes that can reach well beyond the usual superhero crowd.

          What They Missed

• The industry may have underestimated Brand New Day because it treated the film as a genre product rather than a character-driven story.
• Superhero branding created the opening-weekend urgency, but it does not fully explain the scale of the result.
• Audiences were also responding to Peter Parker’s emotional vulnerability: his loneliness, self-doubt and fear of not being enough.
• That emotional layer gave the spectacle a more personal pull and helped the film connect beyond the core comic-book audience.
• The combination of franchise event and human story made Brand New Day feel bigger than a routine MCU instalment.
• On one side is the surface reading: a comic-book movie, a male-skewing blockbuster and another franchise product.
• On the other is the deeper appeal: a story about loneliness, emotional insecurity and Peter Parker’s fear of not being enough.
• That gap matters because box-office tracking often works from category assumptions, while audiences respond to feeling, identification and urgency.
• The success of Brand-New Day suggests that the emotional reading was stronger than the industry expected.

• 2,The Odyssey – £6,843,798 – £50,432,683

Dropped 42.2% in its third weekend.

• The Odyssey remained the clear number two despite a 42.2% third-weekend drop.
• Its £6.84m weekend pushed the film past £50m in the UK.
• The hold remains strong for an adult-skewing event film, especially with premium-format pricing continuing to support the gross.
• The comparison set places it close to major UK event titles such as Spectre, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Toy Story 2.
• Friday took £1.99m, accounting for 29.08% of the weekend and down 40.4% from £3.34m.
• Saturday rose to £2.51m, or 36.7% of the weekend, down 43.3% from £4.43m.
• Sunday delivered £2.34m, equal to 34.2% of the weekend, down 43% from £4.11m.
• Monday added £1.48m, down 36.5% from £2.33m.
• Tuesday then recovered to £2.27m.

10^th biggest third weekend between Wonka and Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (close to Spectre, Avatar: The Way of Water, LOTR: Return of the King and Toy Story 2) and 26^th biggest inflated third weekend between Finding Nemo and Bridget Jones’s Diary (close to Casino Royale, LOTR: The Return of the King, Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones).

• The Odyssey ranks as the 10th-biggest third weekend, between Wonka and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
• Its raw third-weekend comparison places it close to major event titles including Spectre, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Toy Story 2.
• On an inflation-adjusted basis, it ranks 26th, between Finding Nemo and Bridget Jones’s Diary.
• The inflated comparison set places it near Casino Royale, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
• The takeaway is that The Odyssey is holding like a genuine UK event film, even before accounting for the boost from premium formats.
• The biggest-grossing sites were Cineworld Leicester Square, BFI IMAX, Vue Manchester Printworks and Odeon Leicester Square.
• BFI IMAX generated the most attention because of its 70mm IMAX screenings, but Cineworld Leicester Square had more overall capacity.
• That extra capacity came from playing the film across more screens and formats, which helped it outgross more format-specific venues.

The two audiences: Nolanites vs everyone else

Christopher Nolan films occupy a similar place in the UK to James Bond: they are treated as major adult event releases. For many cinemagoers, Nolan himself is the brand. His name functions like intellectual-property shorthand, turning each new film into a must-see cinema event for a loyal audience.

The Odyssey might be an adaptation of a 3,000-year-old poem, but to the audience, it is a Nolan film. It is part of the Nolan Extended Universe. Those who went to see Oppenheimer will see The Odyssey. The same audience will always see Bond films in UK cinemas.

The film is holding exactly as expected, just slightly higher due to the higher percentage of box office from IMAX, which has inflated its gross compared to other Nolan and Bond films. He has sold IMAX as the only real way to see the film, which has made seeing it elitist. Nolanites have obsessively obtained 70mm IMAX tickets so they can say they saw it as he wanted them to.

The Contrast

The Odyssey Audience	Spider-Man Audience
What They Care About	The format	The film
The Reason	“I must see it as Nolan intended.”	“I must see it before it is spoiled.”
The Status	Elite, knowledgeable, committed	Regular cinemagoer
The Experience	70mm IMAX, PLF	Any screen
The Booking	Months in advance	On the day
The Conversation	“I saw it in 70mm IMAX.”	“I saw it opening weekend.”

The Elitist Experience

What Nolan Has Done                                                         The Result

Sold IMAX as the only real way to see the film         Made the standard experience feel inferior

Limited 70mm IMAX to a handful of cinemas           Created scarcity and exclusivity

Charged £25+ for the “true” experience    Made cinema expensive and elitist

Created a two-tier system                   The elite see it “as intended”; everyone else gets the compromise

The Popcorn Box as Status Symbol

The limited-edition IMAX Odyssey popcorn boxes are not just packaging. They are proof. They are a badge of honour. They are the physical evidence that they were among the elite who saw the film as the messiah intended.

What It Is	What It Represents
A cardboard box	A badge of honour
A souvenir	Proof of participation
A collectible	Evidence of status
A marketing gimmick	A symbol of exclusivity

It is not about the popcorn. It is about the box. It is about being able to say: “I was there. I saw it in 70mm IMAX. I have the box to prove it.”

The Nolanite Hierarchy

The Nolanite hierarchy demands a tiered system of exclusivity. Those who booked a year ago would absolutely look down on those who only booked six weeks before opening.

Tier	Booking Time	Status	Proof of Status
Tier 1	A year in advance	The elite of the elite	Special box, limited edition
Tier 2	When tickets first went on sale	The committed	Standard IMAX box
Tier 3	Six weeks before opening	The latecomers	Generic popcorn box
Tier 4	On the day	The plebs	No box, just a ticket

There should have been a special box for those who booked a year ago. They are the most elite members of the Nolanites. They booked a year ago. They were the first. They are the true believers.

It is not just about seeing the film. It is about being seen to have seen it. It is about being part of the exclusive club.

It is the complete opposite to the majority who saw Spider-Man Brand New Day, all they cared about was seeing the film over opening weekend, not caring they saw an added bit of the sky or floor in the IMAX format.

When the Odyssey audience discusses the film with friends, will they talk about what happened in those top and bottom parts of the screen? Or will they talk about the film itself?

When the Spider-Man audience discusses the film with friends, they will talk about the story, the characters, the moments that stayed with them. They will not talk about the format.

The 70mm Resurgence: The Final Step to “Elite” Status

The recent 70mm revival, led by directors like Christopher Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Quentin Tarantino, completed the transformation. 70mm went from a widely available, affordable premium format to a rare, expensive, and elite status symbol.

Nolan’s use of 70mm IMAX cameras and his passionate advocacy for the format reinforced the message that a 70mm IMAX screening is the only true way to see the film. Because only a handful of cinemas can project true 70mm IMAX, and tickets sell for up to $51.75, this created scarcity and “the cachet” of exclusivity.

This “true” 70mm IMAX experience now being sold as a premium, elite event is, in many ways, a return to a format that was once a standard, more widely available choice. The difference is that now it comes with a significant price tag and a layer of marketing that turns it into a status symbol for the most dedicated “Nolanties”.

Barbenheimer

2023’s Oppenheimer dropped 33.2% £5,493,480 and £39,176,945; took £1.52m Friday 27.7%; £2.27m Saturday 41.3%; £1.7m Sunday 30.9% IMAX took 19.5% (£7.64m) from 52 cinemas over 17 days; of £58.5m.

Stayed behind Barbie for six weeks; £5,493,480 in its third and £3,167,966 in its fourth. Oppenheimer remained in the top five for seven weeks and the top ten for ten weeks.

Stayed second behind Barbie dropping 40.2% £7,916,261 and £67,513,588 of £95,671,481; £2.52m Friday 31.8%; £3.09m Saturday 39%; £2.52m Sunday 31.8%

The Odyssey is expected to have a 100-day theatrical window, followed by PVOD in November and Sky Cinema in April 2027.

The BFI IMAX Impact

Unsurprisingly, the BFI IMAX was the strongest cinema for The Odyssey. It sold out every seat of its first 173 shows until September 10th.

Over its first 17 days, it probably took over £1m from about 80 shows. The BFI IMAX has about 500 seats, and the standard price is £25. Being a 15-rated film, there would be no reductions for children, while the cinema also has a premium section with slightly higher prices.

Selling out 173 shows to date—with more dates to come in September—it must have taken close to £2.5m. This is likely repeated at the Science Museum and Vue Manchester Printworks, the three cinemas in the UK showing it in 70mm IMAX.

These three cinemas alone have probably sold over £7m of its box office. Add the other 50 regular IMAX cinemas that have been showing it for the last three weeks, and it must be over £10m.

The Economics of Exclusivity

These are complete estimates, as no IMAX/PLF box office figures have been released. But if a normal film takes about 15% from IMAX and another 40% from PLF, then IMAX must have taken at least 30% of the weekend box office.

What It Shows	Why It Matters
Three cinemas have generated over £7m	The 70mm IMAX experience is a scarce, premium product
50 regular IMAX cinemas have generated over £10m	The standard IMAX experience is a compromise
IMAX accounts for at least 30% of the weekend gross	Premium formats are the engine, not an add-on
The standard experience is being devalued	The industry is teaching audiences that only the premium experience matters

The Nolan Effect: Unintentional Gentrification

When Christopher Nolan talks about how 70mm IMAX is the only true way to watch his films, he is not just advocating for medium purity. He is unintentionally providing the marketing narrative for cinema’s gentrification.

Nolan comparisons third weekends

2010’s Inception dropped 22% £3,229,651 #4 from 459 screens and £20,800,468 of £35,264,403; dropped 30% in the fourth weekend £2,259,595; in the top 5 for 5 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.

2020’s Tenet dropped 42% £1,233,090 from 612 screens and £12,446,578 of £17,479,421; dropped 35% in the fourth weekend taking £796,309 held #1 for 8 weeks and in the top 5 for 9 weeks and top 10 for 10 weeks

2017’s Dunkirk dropped 43% taking £4,624,570 from 690 screens and £38,191,064 of £56,797,955; dropped 43% in the fourth weekend taking £2,634,839 held #1 for 4 weeks and in the top 5 for 8 weeks and top 10 for 10 weeks.

2014’s Interstellar dropped 49% £1,895,368 from 483 screens and £15,866,812 of £20,852,599; dropped 38% in the fourth weekend taking £1,157,875 in the top 5 for 4 weeks and top 10 for 6 weeks.

2005’s Batman Begins dropped 53% £1,370,100 from 492 screens and £12,198,526 of £16,733,960: #1 for 2 weeks, top 5 for 5 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.

2008’s The Dark Knight dropped 39% £4,090,024 #2 from 509 screens and £34,685,968 of £49,411,323: top 5 for 6 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.

2012’s The Dark Knight Rises dropped 41% £4,290,605 #2 from 567 screens and £40,846,913 of £56,446,768: top 5 for 6 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.

The Piracy Paradox: Why Leaks Don’t Hurt Event Films

Last week, an HD copy of The Odyssey appeared on social media. Before it was removed, it had over 2 million views. Over the weekend, a similar HD copy of Spider-Man: Brand New Day was leaked online and seen millions of times before the links were removed.

Both are still online on many different sites. Neither will have any impact on their box office.

The Taken Example

It is similar to what happened with Taken in 2008. The film was leaked online almost a year before it was released in the US. It had no impact on the film.

It probably helped the film. At the time, 20th Century Fox was dumping Taken in selected territories. But it was seen by many illegally. The film was a huge success in the UK and US months later. There were two sequels and a TV series.

What Happened	The Result
Taken was leaked online	No impact on box office
20th Century Fox dumped it in selected territories	The leak created buzz
It was seen by many illegally	It became a word-of-mouth hit
Two sequels and a TV series followed	The franchise was born

The Distinction

What Hurts	What Does Not Hurt
Smaller films	Event films like The Odyssey and Spider-Man
Films that rely on word-of-mouth	Films that rely on spectacle.
Films with limited marketing	Films with massive marketing
Films that need to be discovered	Films that are already events.

Not saying piracy is good. But it does not hurt certain films like The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It massively hurts smaller films.

The Window Panic

It’s similar to exhibitors panic over shorter theatrical windows but if it’s a film people want to see in the cinema, they will see it in the cinema no mater if its freely available illegally online or via PVOD as see with Obsession still in the top 10 in the UK over 6 weeks after being released on PVOD, This was also seen regularly with family films.

What Exhibitors Fear	The Reality
Shorter windows will kill cinema	Obsession was still in the top 10 six weeks after PVOD
PVOD will cannibalise theatrical	Family films continue to play steadily after PVOD
Leaks will destroy box office	Event films are unaffected by leaks
Audiences will stay home	Audiences will go to the cinema if they want the experience

The industry is panicking about windows. But the evidence does not support their fear.

The Obsession Example

Obsession was released on PVOD after 45 days. Its remained in the top 10 for six weeks after that. Audiences who wanted to see it in the cinema still went to the cinema. The PVOD release did not kill its theatrical run.

What Happened	Why It Matters
Obsession was released on PVOD	It did not leave the top 10
It stayed in cinemas for weeks	Audiences still wanted the experience
It continued to hold well	The window did not matter
PVOD did not cannibalise theatrical	Audiences chose the format that suited them

The Family Film Pattern

This is also seen regularly with family films. They are released on PVOD but still play steadily in cinemas until the end of the school holidays.

What Happens	Why
Family films are released on PVOD	Parents still take children to the cinema.
They play steadily through the holidays	It is a school holiday activity.
The window does not kill the run	The experience matters.

This will be seen with Minions & Monsters shortly. It will be available on PVOD but will still play steadily in cinemas until the end of the school holiday.

The Odyssey, Emily Wilson, and the Emperor’s New Clothes

It is interesting. Ahead of its opening, The Odyssey received widespread acclaim. But since then, it has faced significant backlash.

Some have dismissed the criticism as coming from the right, attributing it to objections over casting decisions and the language used. But then Emily Wilson published her lengthy op-ed, and others not on the right have also taken issue with the film.

The criticism follows the familiar pattern of Christopher Nolan films:

They are often described as emotionless.

The female characters are poorly written.

The spectacle overshadows the story.

The Odyssey has more female roles than most Nolan films. But those roles still are not as strong as the male characters. Wilson noted this in her review, pointing out that the film “has more female characters than in most Nolan movies, thanks to the source material. But none of them has much to say, in contrast to the characterisations in the poem.”

George Lucas has openly spoken about drawing on mythology when creating Star Wars. One of his biggest influences was the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, particularly Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell argued that many cultures tell variations of the same underlying “hero’s journey.”

The Odyssey is surely the origin to all these stories. As Christopher Nolan said Homer wrote The Odyssey 500 years after the event, you only need to play Chinese whispers with a couple of people to hear a completely different story than it started. So, after 500 years these stories must have become much more fanciful than they originally were, so you could see The Odyssey as the original comic book as the creators of the comics created fantasy world of the one, they lived in. Will develop this further on my next post, as started it as part of my box office analysis but it went off in many different directions.

The Emperor’s New Clothes

There is a sense of the Emperor’s New Clothes with Christopher Nolan films. People will not admit it. They see them because they must see them. They say they love them. But many are probably going home to read Homer’s Odyssey, the version they know, the book that has been sitting on their bookshelf for decades, covered in dust, never opened.

What People Say	What They Really Think
“The greatest film ever made.”	“I need to see it to be part of the conversation.”
“A breathtaking masterpiece.”	“I am caught up in the hype.”
“Nolan has done it again.”	“I am afraid to say anything else.”
“I loved it.”	“I feel like I should have loved it.”

The critics are still praising it. But the person who knows the source material better than anyone has called it empty. That is not a difference of opinion. That is a verdict.

The Box Office Defence

Of course, people will say: who cares? It has taken almost $1bn and over £50m in the UK.

But the difference is that you surely expect more from a Christopher Nolan film than a Transformers film.

Transformers is a spectacle. It is designed to be seen, not remembered. It is not expected to have emotional depth. It is not expected to have well-written female characters. It is not expected to win awards for its screenplay.

Nolan’s films are different. They are treated as art. They are expected to be more than spectacle. They are expected to have emotional depth, strong characters, and a meaningful story.

The Oscar Gap

With Oppenheimer, Nolan finally won his Oscars. With The Odyssey, the film will likely sweep the BAFTAs and Oscars next year—for all categories except adapted screenplay and female acting awards.

What It Will Win	What It Will Not Win
Best Director (Nolan)	Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography	Best Actress
Best Visual Effects	Best Supporting Actress
Best Sound	Best Original Score
Best Production Design	—

The pattern is consistent. Nolan’s films are celebrated for their craft, not their writing. They are admired for their visuals, not their characters.

The Higher Standard

What You Expect From Nolan	What You Expect From Transformers
Emotional depth	Spectacle
Strong characters	Action
A meaningful story	Entertainment
Award-worthy writing	Popcorn fun

The Odyssey will sweep the technical awards. It will not win for writing or acting. That is the gap.

• 3.Toy Story 5     £1,051,470 – £51,914,661

Down 44.9% in its seventh weekend

43^rd biggest seventh weekend between LOTR: Two Towers and Moana (2016) (close to Mufasa: The Lion King, Inside Out 2, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) and 104^th biggest inflated seventh weekend between Ratatouille and Shakespeare In Love (close to Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, Life of Pi, Ocean’s 11 and Ghostbusters 2)

4^th biggest Pixar seventh weekend between Inside Out 2 and Incredibles (close to Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 2 and Inside Out) and 10^th biggest inflated seventh weekend between Ratatouille and Up (close to Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story and Inside Out).

Seventh weekends Toy Story films

2019’s Toy Story 4 dropped 46.2% £1,357,910/£1,506,490 and £55,457,931 84% of £66,030,065/£73,254,961

2010’s Toy Story 3 dropped 37.7% £934,423/£1,257,938 and £69,878,376 95.2% of £73,405,113/£98,819,320.

Toy Story 3 was in the top 5 for 9 weeks (taking £1m+ for 6 weeks) and in the top 10 for 12 weeks (taking £261,359 in its 12th weekend).

2000’s Toy Story 2 dropped 29.3% £732,926/£1,381,350 and £40,152,421 92.3% of £43,491,021/£81,967,783

1996’s Toy Story dropped 19.1% £435,998/£858,070 and £19,669,828 88.2% of £22,297,733/£43,883,253

Other Pixar seventh weekends

2018’s Incredibles 2 dropped 6.7% £1,268,401/£1,407,187 and £51,229,806 91.3% of £56.1m/£62.3m

2024’s Inside Out 2 dropped 27.4% £1,123,884 and £50,117,466 85.3% of £58,721,001/£60,769,408

2004’s Incredibles dropped 24.8% £974,056/£1,737,681 and £30,264,650 94.4% of £32,039,321/£57,157,007

2003’s Finding Nemo dropped 32.7% £808,327/£1,458,266 and £35,994,590 96.8% of £37,178,973/£67,072,877

49^th biggest between The Full Monty and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (close to Michael, Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Marvel Avengers Assemble and Quantum of Solace) and 126^th biggest inflated between War of the Worlds and Spider-Man (close to Mrs. Doubtfire, Ghostbusters (1984), Ice Age III and The Lost World: Jurassic Park).

Toy Story is the 55^th film to take over £50m in the UK since 1997’s The Full Monty and the 3^rd film this year to take over £50m after Micheal and The Odyssey; Spider-Man: Brand New Day will join the £50m club om Wednesday (August 5^th)

Toy Story 5, Moana, and Minions & Monsters will face competition from Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie opening Friday, but it plays to mostly younger audiences to all of these films.

• 4. Minions & Monsters £778,533 – £14,412,462

Down 42.3% in its fifth weekend.

286^th biggest fifth weekend between Shang-Chi and Borat (close to Wall-e, Kung Fu Panda 2, Shark Tale and Cast Away) and 502^nd biggest inflated fifth weekend between Monsters Vs. Aliens and Fantastic Beasts 2 (close to Blind Date, X-Men, Beverly Hills Cop II, and The Emoji Movie).

Fifth weekends

2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru dropped 40.3% £1,528,941 and £35,552,993 74% of £45,764,546

2017’s Despicable Me 3 dropped 27% £2,250,597 and £35,851,868 75.4% of £47,562,575

2015’s Minions dropped 16% £2,268,007 and £37,097,156 78.8% of £47,645,626

2013’s Despicable Me 2 dropped 12.7% £2,085,392 and £34,676,246 73.2% of £47,436,199

2010’S Despicable Me dropped 7.5% £1,089,160/£1,466,247 and £18,171,850 92% of £19,670,786

• 5. Moana £719,848 – £10,463,607

Dropped 47.5% in its fourth weekend.

581^st biggest fourth weekend between School Of Rock and Streetdance (close to Thor: The Dark World, Troy, The Sheep Detectives and Charlotte’s Web) and the 871^st biggest inflated fourth weekend between Venom: Let There Be Carnage and The Maze Runner (close to Dr. Dolittle 2, The Little Mermaid (1990), The Addams Family (2019) and Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian)

15th biggest Disney reimagination fourth weekend between Cruella (£731,639) and Pete’s Dragon (2016) (£466,286) (close to Dumbo, Disney’s Christopher Robin, Alice Through The Looking Glass and Disney’s Snow White)

The positive spin for Moana is that its better than it could have been as its taking more than Alice Through The Looking Glass and Disney’s Snow White, but of course there is massive love for Moana, seen by how the original animated film had huge viewing numbers on Netflix and Disney+ and of course the huge success of 2024’s Moana 2 taking £42,357,963 and the original 2016 film took £20,041,031.

Disney will of course not stop reimagination their animated films as they are beloved by audiences. The problem for Moana was obvious to everyone apart from Disney opening less than 10 years after the original and less than two years after Moana 2.

Next up is Lilo & Stitch 2 in May 2028, and as with the headlines this week saying MCU isn’t dead, the same will be said after Lilo & Stitch 2 has a huge opening, it will be followed by Tangled directed by Michael Gracey, it will also be a huge success as the original animated film has beloved audiences for over 20 years.

The one thing is Disney are running out of animated films to remake as there are many that they will not remake due to cultural insensitivity and there are others they were developing but cancelled, so there will likely be spinoffs from the original animated film or reimagination.

According to Countit 2.8m+ tickets were sold over the weekend.

The top 5: Spider-Man: Brand New Day 1.9m+ tickets; The Odyssey 435K+ tickets; Toy Story 5 101K+ tickets; Minions & Monsters 77K+ tickets; Moana 72K+ tickets

2026 BO is currently up 16% from 2025.

The weekend’s top 10 box office took £46,259,210 up 158.5% from last weekend’s £17,896,699: 5,775,182 admissions, up 158.5% from 2,234,295 admissions.

Biggest weekend of the last 52 weeks ahead of 03 April 2026 (£24,431,101) #1 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie £14,995,549 (61.38%)

Biggest since cinemas reopened out of 298 weeks ahead of 21 July 2023 (£35,475,322) #1 Barbie £18,509,235 (52.17%)

3^rd biggest top 10 of the last 25 years (out of 1,268) between 26 April 2019 #1 Avengers Endgame £43,400,000 (92.85%) and 18 December 2015 #1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens £34,011,849 (88.58%) and 5^th biggest inflated between 27 July 2007 #1 The Simpsons £13,626,853             (48.58%) and 18 December 2015 #1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens £34,011,849        (88.58%)

The top 3 took 44,300,586 (95.8%) of the top 10; Spider-Man: Brand New Day 78.7% (£36,405,318); The Odyssey 14.8% (£6,843,798); Toy Story 5 2.3% (£1,051,470).

34^th biggest percentage share #1 (78.70%) between 16 December 2016 #1 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story £17,305,011 (78.86%) and 06 July 2012 #1 The Amazing Spider-Man £11,091,972 (78.67%)

4^th biggest admissions (4,544,984) between 18 December 2015 #1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens £34,011,849 (4,717,316) and 15 November 2002 #1 Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets £18,871,829 (4,399,028)

Up 299.30% from 2025; (£11,585,099); The Naked Gun (£1,815,858); Bring Her Back (£1,218,732); #1 The Fantastic Four – First Steps 2^nd week £3,098,336 62% drop 673 screens (26.74% of top 10)

Up 220.43% from 2024; (£14,436,761); Harold And The Purple Crayon (£641,549); Spider-Man RE (£253,261); BLACKPINK WORLD TOUR [BORN PINK] IN CINEMAS (£93,518); The Neverending Story (40th Anniversary) (£20,677); #1 Deadpool and Wolverine £8,021,084 2nd weeks (55.56% of top 10)

Up 94.16% from 2023; (£23,825,557); The Meg 2 (£3,777,784); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (£3,662,250); Joy Ride (£389,935); #1 Barbie £7,916,261 3rd week 40% drop 766 screens (33.23%)

Up 429.22% 2022 (£8,741,052); Bullet Train (£2,858,197); Westlife: Live from Wembley Stadium (£468,215); #1 Bullet Train £2,858,197 1st week 609 screens (32.7% of top 10)

Up 446.82% 2021 (£10,270,607); The Suicide Squad (£3,252,028); Jungle Cruise (£2,241,651); Spirit Untamed (£592,154); The Sparks Brothers (£123,005); #1 The Suicide Squad £3,252,028 1st week 635 screens (31.66% of top 10)

Up 6,996% 2020: (£651,914); Unhinged (£175,263); 100% Wolf (£33,130); The Vigil (£30,302); Proxima (£30,051); Summerland (£15,792); Parasite: Black & White Edition (£8,546); Flash Gordon 40th Anniversary 4K Restoration (£5,816); #1 Unhinged £175,263 1st week 243 screens (26.88% of top 10)

Up 192.38% from 2019; (£15,821,627); Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (£6,377,583); Angry Birds 2 (£701,223); The Magic Flute – Glyndebourne 2019 (£132,765); Do the Right Thing (30th Anniversary) (£14,616); #1 Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw £6,377,583 1st week 614 screens (40.31% of top 10)

Up 183.26% from 2018: (£16,330,724); Ant-Man and The Wasp (£4,988,747); Teen Titans Go! to the Movies (£389,726); The Producers (50th Anniversary) (£35,745); #1 Ant-Man and The Wasp £4,988,747 1st week 486 screens (30.5% of top 10)

Up 215% from 2017: (£14,684,539); The Emoji Movie (£2,702,809); Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (£1,861,916); England is Mine (£76,895); Maudie (£49,315); #1 Dunkirk £4,624,570 3rd week 690 screens (31.49% of top 10)

Up 118.4% from 2016: (£21,285,722); Suicide Squad (£11,252,225); Sid & Nancy (30th Anniversary) (£6,048); #1 Suicide Squad £11,252,225 1st week 573 screens (52.8% of the top 10)

Up 237% from 2015; (£13,728,232); Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (£5,351,344); Hot Pursuit (£311,673); The Cobbler (£57,787); #1 Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation £5,351,344 1st week 572 screens (38.9% of top 10)

Up 217.5% from 2014: (£14,570,372); Guardians of the Galaxy (£6,363,110); The Nut Job (£666,966); Back to the Future (Re: 2014) (£538,159); Step Up 5: All In (£391,129); Mood Indigo (£60,538); Planes 2: Fire and Rescue (£55,903); #1 Guardians of the Galaxy £6,363,110 1st week 554 screens (43.67%)

Up 201.8 from 2013: (£15,328,027); The Smurfs 2 (£3,220,911); The Heat (£2,500,522); The Conjuring (£2,156,124); Red 2 (£1,023,349); Only God Forgives (£465,917); From up on Poppy Hill (£33,087); #1 The Smurfs 2 £3,220,911 1st week 510 screens (21.1% of top 10)

Up 145.6% from 2012 (£18,835,047); Ted (£9,333,700); Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (£1,537,178); Brave (Scotland) (£820,084); Sound of My Voice (£3,630); #1 Ted £9,333,700 1st week 509 screens (49.5% of top 10)

Up 272.2% from 2011; (£14,498,785); Captain America: The First Avenger (£2,981,590); Horrid Henry: the Movie (£1,290,308); The Zookeeper (£936,063); #1 Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 £4,567,581 3rd 576 screens 64% drop (31.50% of top 10)

Up 180.8% from 2010: (£21,956,519); Karate Kid (£4,882,306); The A-Team (£3,569,505); Gainsbourg (£135,031); #1 Toy Story 3 £8,115,193 2nd week 564 screens 62% drop (36.9% of top 10)

Up 272.6% from 2009; (£12,415,474); G-Force (£2,478,524); The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (£1,784,719); Land of the Lost (£642,553); Coco Before Chanel (£423,268); Crossing Over (£3,214); #1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince £2,917,786 3rd week 568 screens 44% drop (23.5% of top 10)

Up 191.51% from 2008; (£15,871,733); The X-Files: I Want to Believe (£887,209); Space Chimps (£563,543); The Love Guru (£498,829); Man on Wire (£98,508); #1 The Dark Knight £6,737,306 2nd week 510 40% drop screens (42.4% of top 10)

Up 335.5% from 2007: (£10,622,708); Evan Almighty (£1,152,349); The Hoax (£94,136); Happily, Never After (£62,622); Wind Chill (£23,769); Seraphim Falls (£17,110); #1 The Simpsons £4,027,220 2nd week 519 screens 70% drop (37.9% of top 10)

Up 397% from 2006; (£9,307,750); Miami Vice (£2,231,684); My Super Ex-Girlfriend (£714,920); Ant Bully (£382,766); #1 Miami Vice £2,231,684 1st week 408 screens (23.9% of top 10)

Up 489.1% from 2005: (£14,849,850); Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (£7,972,168); #1 Fantastic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory £7,972,168 1st week (53.7% of top 10)

Up 489.3% from 2004 (£7,849,699); King Arthur (£1,908,084); Garfield (£1,147,437); The Stepford Wives (£946,787); New York Minute (£109,106); Anything Else (£39,149); #1 King Arthur £1,908,084 1st week 400 screens (24.31% of top 10)

Up 322.9% from 2003 (£10,939,690); Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (£6,080,369); Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde (£1,546,483); Spy Kids 3D Game Over (£979,374); #1 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines £6,080,369 1st week 478 screens (55.58%)

Up 262.1% from 2002 (£12,774,940); Men in Black 2 (£6,191,428); Lost In La Mancha (42,824); Lovely and Amazing (£35,483); #1 Men in Black 2 £6,191,428 1st week 512 screens (48.4% of top 10)

Up 330.1% from 2001 (£10,754,826); Cats and Dogs (£3,707,358); Rush Hour 2 (£2,286,253); Final Fantasy: The Spirits. (£43,546) #1 Cats and Dogs £ 3,707,358 1st week 452 screens (34.4% of top 10).

025 Next week: (£9,926,226); Weapons (£2,818,535); Freakier Friday (£1,758,698); Stans (£212,163); Sense And Sensibility (30th Anniversary) (£45,946); #1 Weapons £2,818,5351^st week 619 screens (28.39% of top 10)

US Box Office

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day — Sony Pictures

Record-breaking US opening

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened with $360.09m, ahead of Avengers: Endgame ($357.1m) and Spider-Man: No Way Home ($260.13m).
• It received strong audience and critical responses, with 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore.
• Thursday previews totalled $72m, starting at 12pm and including Amazon previews on Wednesday.
• For comparison, Spider-Man: No Way Home took $50m in previews, Avengers: Endgame $60m, Star Wars: The Force Awakens $57m and Avengers: Infinity War $39m.
• Friday reached $169.8m including previews, the biggest single Friday total ever.
• Saturday delivered $101.5m, second only to Avengers: Endgame at $109.2m.
• Sunday took $88.7m, again second only to Avengers: Endgame at $90.3m.

Admissions, advance sales and formats

• EntTelligence estimated 24.1m admissions, ahead of Spider-Man: No Way Home on 20m.
• It also reported more than $150m in advance sales, almost double the $80m figure being reported by the wider industry.
• That gap raises the obvious question: why were industry forecasts so far below the apparent demand?
• Premium large formats accounted for 24% of the opening, including 17% from 3D.
• ScreenX and 4DX generated $12.2m combined: $7m from ScreenX and $5.2m from 4DX.
• Dolby Cinema took $10m from 177 screens, with nearly two-thirds of available tickets sold before Thursday previews began.
• Given the strength of the franchise since 2002, the size of the presales, and the popularity of recent Spider-Man films, the low forecasts never made much logical sense.

Audience profile and walk-up business

• Walk-up sales were similar to No Way Home: 33% of Brand New Day viewers bought tickets on the same day, compared with 35% for No Way Home.
• The audience split was 30% men over and under 25, 21% women under 25, and 18% women over 25.
• Audiences aged 18-34 made up 63%, compared with 68% for No Way Home.
• Over-35s accounted for 21%, compared with 15% for No Way Home, suggesting a slightly broader age profile.

Why tracking missed the scale

• The clearest comparison was always Spider-Man: No Way Home, which opened during the back end of COVID with restrictions still in place in several countries.
• Brand New Day had a cleaner runway and a target audience that had been underserved for much of the year.
• Recent would-be event titles such as The Mandalorian and Grogu, Masters of the Universe and Supergirl had failed to become must-see releases.
• The lack of IMAX never looked like a major barrier because the audience wanted to see the film over opening weekend, regardless of format.
• By Thursday, NRG was estimating $195m, while exhibitors were reportedly expecting $260m-$300m.
• Even the exhibitor range proved too low.
• The scale of the tracking miss was enormous.
• Sony was said to be expecting around $195m.
• Trade estimates were generally $200m+ domestically and $425m-$465m worldwide.
• Given No Way Home, the strength of presales and visible demand on box-office forums, a $300m+ domestic opening and $800m+ worldwide launch always looked more plausible.

Format strategy and exhibitor results

• The comparison with The Odyssey is useful because Universal’s opening estimates were much closer to the final result.
• The main upside for The Odyssey came from IMAX and premium-format surcharges.
• Brand New Day opened without IMAX screens, so Sony leaned into ScreenX instead.
• Brand New Day was the first film shot for ScreenX with the format integrated from on-set production through to release.
• ScreenX took $7m in the US, equal to just 1.9% of the domestic opening.
• 4DX added $5.2m.
• If the film had opened in IMAX, it would likely have played in ScreenX and 4DX as well, meaning the premium-format upside could have been significantly higher.
• Regal presented the film as a $160m+ success, although that figure included concessions.
• AMC reported more than 10.2m admissions, including Odeon cinemas.
• Cinemark described it as its biggest week ever.
• Taken together, the exhibitor data underlines how far demand exceeded the pre-release tracking.

Spider-Man franchise context

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the ninth Sony-produced Spider-Man film since 2002.
• The franchise now spans three main eras: the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy, the Marc Webb/Andrew Garfield films, and the MCU-era Tom Holland series.
• Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy: Spider-Man opened with $114.84m and finished on $825.02m worldwide; Spider-Man 2 opened with $88.15m and finished on $788.97m worldwide; Spider-Man 3 opened with $151.11m and finished on $894.98m worldwide.
• Marc Webb/Andrew Garfield films: The Amazing Spider-Man opened with $62m and finished on $757.93m worldwide; The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opened with $91.6m and finished on $708.98m worldwide.
• MCU-era Tom Holland films: Spider-Man: Homecoming opened with $117.02m and finished on $880.16m worldwide; Spider-Man: Far From Home opened with $92.47m and finished on $1.13bn worldwide; Spider-Man: No Way Home opened with $260.13m and finished on $1.921bn worldwide.

MCU setup and franchise momentum

• The scale of Brand New Day will not have gone unnoticed at Disney.
• After a $360m domestic opening without IMAX, Avengers: Doomsday could plausibly aim for $450m+ in December, especially with its Infinity Vision format.
• Brand New Day also functions as a major setup film, pointing toward storylines for both Avengers: Doomsday and the future X-Men reboot.
• This setup approach is familiar within the MCU.
• Spider-Man first entered the shared universe through Captain America: Civil War, which also introduced Black Panther.
• Sony’s Spider-Man films have since been used to bring selected MCU characters into Peter Parker’s story while moving larger franchise threads forward.
• Brand New Day follows the same pattern.
• Alongside the action, it contains significant exposition designed to set up future stories and characters.
• For audiences familiar with the 20th Century Fox X-Men films, the direction of Marvel’s next phase is already clear.

International launch

• Spider-Man: No Way Home opened with $340.8m from 60 territories across more than 38,900 screens, reaching $600.8m worldwide.
• Key No Way Home openings included Europe on $113m, the UK on $41.4m, Mexico on $32.4m, South Korea on $23.7m, India on $18.2m, Australia on $18.7m and Russia on $17.4m.
• Brand New Day opened with $572m from 66 territories, playing on more than 73,500 screens and reaching $932m worldwide.
• Its biggest international markets included China on $121m, the UK on $49m, Mexico on $38.3m, India on $31.8m, France on $26.6m, Brazil on $23.8m and Australia on $21.4m.

Premium formats overseas

• The MCU’s 38 films have now taken around $33.3bn worldwide.
• Brand New Day played in selected IMAX territories before expanding further this weekend.
• 4DX and ScreenX premium formats took a record $31m from 1,111 screens, including $14.4m from ScreenX and $17m from 4DX.
• That total topped Jurassic World: Rebirth, which had generated $15.7m from those formats.
• In China, Japan and South Korea, Brand New Day took $23m from IMAX, including $19m in China, where IMAX represented 16% of its opening.

• The Odyssey – Universal Pictures

Dropped 43% in its third weekend $51.04m and $395.57m.

16^th biggest third weekend between Top Gun: Maverick and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (close to Jurassic World, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Incredibles 2, and Spider-Man).

The Dark Knight #23 $42.86m; The Dark Knight Rises #41 $35.73m; Oppenheimer #81 $29.12m; Inception #94 $27.48m; Interstellar #333 $15.34m; Dunkirk #267 $17.13m

Premium-format impact

EntTelligence said average ticket prices for Odyssey were general $15.32; 70MM $22.46 and 70MM IMAX $27.77

Oppenheimer comparison

2023’s Oppenheimer dropped 38% $29.12m and $228.98m of $330.07m and $975.81m worldwide. remained in second place for four weeks, stayed in the top five for seven weeks and remained in the top ten for ten weeks, taking more than $1m every week during that run.

Other Nolan benchmarks third weekends

2020’s Tenet dropped 30.8% $4.56m and $36.1m of $58.5m and $365.3m WW; dropped 26.7% in the fourth weekend taking $3.34m; held #1 for 5 weeks and stayed in top 10 for 13 weeks.

2017’s Dunkirk dropped 35.6% taking $17.13m and $133.09m of $188.045m and $525.24m WW; dropped 36.5% in the fourth weekend taking $10.88m and stayed in the top 10 for 9 weeks.

2014’s Interstellar dropped 45.8% taking $15.34m and $120.93m of $188.02m and $677.89m WW; up 2.6% in the fourth weekend taking $15.74m stayed in the top 10 for 6 weeks.

2010’s Inception dropped 35.7% $27.48m and $193.31m of $292.57m and $825.79m WW; dropping 32.7% in the fourth weekend $18.5m held #1 for 3 weeks and staying in the top 10 for 11 weeks.

2008’s The Dark Knight dropped 43.2% $42.66m of $393.75m of $533.34m and $1.003bn WW; dropped 38.8% in the fourth weekend $26.11m held #1 for 4 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for 10 weeks.

2012’s The Dark Knight Rises dropped 42.5% $35.73m and $353.93m of $448.13m and $1.081bn WW; dropped 46.9% in the fourth weekend $18.97m; held #1 for 3 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for 8 weeks.

Internationally

Oppenheimer took $55.6m (down 27.9%) from 78 territories $327.2m total and $553m worldwide (expected to take $700m+); UK $50.3m; Germany $28.3m; France $24.2m; Australia $18.2m; India $16.1m; Mexico $14.5m; Spain $13.7m; took $49.6m internationally IMAX and $114.2m total (20.65%).

Took $85.2m from 73 territories $353.2m total and $911m worldwide, from 12,700 cinemas and 25,600 screens; UK $67.4m; France $45.6m; Italy $42.5m; Germany $31.5m; Mexico $25.8m; Spain $23.8m.

Playing in 441 IMAX cinemas taking 16%, including seven 70mm IMAX internationally taking $44.7m US $22.1m from US taking 43% of its third weekend and $22.6m from international 26% of its third weekend) and $221m total worldwide; 70MM IMAX took $5.1m and $27.6m.

• Toy Story 5 – Walt Disney

Dropped 33% in its seventh weekend, $6.76m and $462.16m.

103^rd biggest seventh weekend between Saving Private Ryan and National Treasure (close to The Lion King (2019), Pretty Woman, The Wild Robot and Moana 2)

EntTelligence standard average price $15.25; $13.12 child

Seventh weekends

2019’s Toy Story 4’s dropped 29.7% $7.34m and $410.24m of $434m/$640m and $1.073bn/$1.5bn WW

2010’s Toy Story 3’s dropped 42.6% $45.12m and $389.76m of $415m/$667m and $1.067bn/$1.7bn worldwide

1999’s Toy Story 2 dropped 42.4% $7.15m and $219.7m of $245.8m/$570m and $397.37m//$1.15bn WW

1995’s Toy Story dropped 54.7% $7.06m and $160.8m of $223.3m/$630.9m and $401.15m/$1.11bn WW

The six Toy Story films have taken $2bn in the US and $4.4bn+ worldwide, selling over $16bn in merchandising and more since 1995. As with everything for Disney, the film is just the start of the journey. Disney’s economic impact study said the franchise has generated nearly $50bn in “overall economic impact” globally. It creates the cultural event that drives the real revenue streams: around $1bn a year in global retail sales for Toy Story products.

Took $14.5m internationally from 52 territories, $604.2m total, and $1.065bn worldwide; #5 biggest Pixar worldwide and #10 biggest animated film overtaking Zootopia $1.027bn, Finding Dory $1.030bn; Despicable Me 3 $1.03bn; Moana 2 $1.060bn.

UK Box Office Top 10

Box Office Preview

Why the second weekend matters

Opening weekends measure hype. Second weekends reveal whether a film has real legs.

That is the key test for films such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey and Toy Story 5. Their openings were always likely to be huge because of built-in demand, advance hype, FOMO and preview box office. The question now is how sharply they fall once the opening rush has passed.

No Way Home: benchmark and caveats

• Why it matters: Spider-Man: No Way Home is the clearest benchmark for Brand New Day, but its second weekend is not a clean like-for-like comparison.
• Headline drop: In 2021, No Way Home fell 86% in its second weekend, or 76% when previews are excluded.
• Second-weekend total: It took £4,619,518 across that frame, lifting its running total to £51,107,711.
• Final-total progress: By the end of that weekend, it had already reached 53.24% of its eventual £95,994,961/£102,249,952 total.
• Calendar distortion: The second weekend was only a two-day Christmas frame, which makes the drop look harsher than a normal Friday-to-Sunday weekend.
• Competition factor: The Matrix: Resurrections also opened that weekend with £2,686,785, taking some audience attention away from No Way Home.
• Recovery pattern: Once the holiday pattern normalised, No Way Home rebounded strongly: its third weekend rose 31%, and its fourth weekend nearly matched its second.
• Takeaway: The comparison is still useful, but it should be treated as a distorted benchmark rather than a direct guide to Brand New Day’s second-weekend hold.

Brand New Day forecast

Brand New Day is more likely to behave like Avengers: Endgame, which dropped 67% in its second weekend, or 54% excluding previews, taking £14,331,192 and reaching £69,330,816. That was 77.83% of its eventual £88,688,477/£98,392,618 total.

Brand New Day could hold slightly better because it is not playing like a traditional comic-book film. Like Black Panther, it has a broader emotional connection, and Spider-Man remains one of the most accessible MCU characters: a next-door superhero rather than a distant, arrogant or untouchable figure.

Competition and runway

• Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie, Ice Cream Man and Andre Rieu’s 2026 Summer Concert: Viva Maastricht open against it, but none should materially affect Brand New Day.
• Brand New Day could remain number one until mid-September, when Practical Magic 2 arrives.
• It should be capable of taking £2m+ for around six weeks, giving it a longer runway than Avengers: Endgame.

Because Brand New Day took £12.91m from previews, its headline second-weekend drop could be around 70%. Excluding previews, however, the decline should be closer to 35%, suggesting a second weekend in the £12m-£15m range.

Current biggest second weekends

Skyfall	£16,107,687	-20.18%	£53,440,685
No Time To Die	£15,235,947	-41.21%	£52,694,547
Avengers: Endgame	£14,331,192	-67.04%	£69,025,147
Barbie	£13,226,848	-28.54%	£47,988,743
Spectre	£13,145,138	-68.17%	£63,973,267
Beauty and the Beast (2017)	£12,334,338	-37.39%	£39,884,575
The Odyssey	£11,887,391	-5.40%	£35,334,436
Jurassic World	£11,133,912	-42.46%	£38,522,331
The Lion King (2019)	£10,660,287	-36.06%	£36,889,089
Top Gun: Maverick	£10,325,500	-35.19%	£38,471,380

US second-weekend outlook

• US comparison points: Spider-Man: No Way Home fell 67.5% in its second weekend, taking $84.54m and reaching $470.41m on its way to $804.73m.
• Avengers: Endgame held better, dropping 58.7% to $147.38m and reaching $621.27m on its way to $858.37m.
• Brand New Day is likely to land between those two patterns, with a projected second weekend of around $140m-$150m.

UK holdover forecast

• The Odyssey should drop around 40%-45% in its fourth weekend.
• That would suggest a weekend gross of roughly £3.7m-£4.2m.
• The hold would place it in line with titles such as Skyfall, No Time To Die, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Spectre.
• Christopher Nolan films tend to hold in the UK like James Bond films, while The Odyssey is also playing closer to a Lord of the Rings-style event film.

New release: Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie

• Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie, based on the children’s TV series, should open third.
• The previous film, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, opened with £3,348,155, including £2,004,484 from previews.
• Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie finished on £8,020,233.
• Paw Patrol is the biggest global children’s TV brand, broadcast in more than 160 countries.
• The franchise is supported by more than $15bn in merchandise sales.
• An estimated 97% of its earnings come from merchandise, with more than 100,000 products on sale.
• In that sense, the show functions as a highly effective 22-minute advert.
• The films have not matched the TV and merchandise phenomenon in cinemas.
• This is similar to Peppa Pig: hugely popular at home, but harder to turn into a theatrical habit.
• Young children are not driven by urgency in the same way older audiences are; they are often happy to watch the same episode repeatedly.
• With the summer holidays in full swing, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie should attract young children.
• Parents may see it as an easy 90-minute cinema trip away from tablets and screens.
• Its arrival will likely put pressure on Toy Story 5, Minions & Monsters and Moana.
• All three could drop by more than 40%, partly because they will lose showtimes, even if they play slightly older than Paw Patrol.

Other openers

• Ice Cream Man could open in the top five, helped by trailer placement with Backrooms, Obsession and Evil Dead Burn.
• Eli Roth has described it as his “most terrifying and insane film to date”.
• The film aims to outdo Hostel, The Green Inferno and Cabin Fever in gore, while also blending twisted humour and slapstick.
• A result similar to 2023’s Thanksgiving, which opened with £486,197 and finished on £1,000,453, feels plausible.
• Andre Rieu’s 2026 Summer Concert: Viva Maastricht should perform steadily with its older audience and loyal fanbase.
• Recent comparable events include Andre Rieu’s 2025 Christmas Concert: Merry Christmas, which took £845,675 in December.
• Andre Rieu’s 2025 Maastricht Concert: Waltz The Night Away! opened with £566,325 from 547 screens in August.
• Andre Rieu’s 75th Birthday Celebration: The Dream Continues took £596,897 in April.
• With event-cinema surcharges, another opening around £600k looks likely.

Coming Soon

• Insidious: Out Of The Further – Sony Pictures

Supernatural horror sequel to 2023’s Insidious: The Red Door and the sixth instalment in the Insidious film series; starring Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea and Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Lin Shaye and directed by Jacob Chase.

Sony Pictures announced the sequel in 2024; it was original set for release in December 2024 and then Augst 25^th before moving to August 2026.

2023’s Insidious: The Red Door opened £2,279,084; £816k Friday (38.5%); £837k Saturday (36.7%); £628k Sunday (27.5%) taking £7,858,051

2011’s Insidious opened £1,441,292 taking £7,035,245

2013’s Insidious 2 opened £2,877,742 taking £6,996,519

2015’s Insidious Chapter 3 opened £1,440,299 taking £3,874,112

2018’s Insidious: The Last Key opened £1,840,992 taking £5,040,84

While original horror films like Obsession and Backrooms have strongly performed this year, horror sequels have not clicked as well with audiences and been very front-loaded as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Scream 7.

Insidious: Out Of The Further will likely open lower than 2023’s Insidious: The Red Door and be very front-loaded.

• Munity – Studiocanal

Action thriller starring Jason Statham, Annabelle Wallis and Adrian Lester and directed by Jean-François Richet

As with The Beekeeper Sky Cinema acquired UK rights and it will be released in cinemas and about a month later will be shown on Sky Cinema.

Jason Statham starred in action film Shelter earlier this year and will star in The Beekeeper 2 and Jason Statham Stole My Bike next year.

2026’s Shelter opened £964,903 taking £1,913,913

2024’s The Beekeeper, £956,380 (£250k Friday; £409k Saturday and £262k Sunday), taking £3,830, 079.

2025’s A Working Man, £658,134 (£201k Friday; £273k Saturday; £384k Sunday), taking £1,362,371.

Jason Statham’s first films were Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998 and 2000’s Snatch. since starred in many action films, including The Transporter, The Italian Job, Cellular, Crank, The Expendables, The Mechanic, several Fast & Furious sequels, Spy and The Meg and its sequel.

2002’s The Transporter (opened £338,420, taking £623,493,

2010’s The Mechanic opened £921,554, taking £2,445,760

2006’s Crank opened £450,141, taking £1,279,643

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels opened almost exactly 28 years ago in August 1998, with £941,638, taking £11,399,953.

• Spa Weekend – Black Bear

comedy starring Isla Fisher, Leslie Mann, Anna Faris, and Michelle Buteau and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore.

Jon Lucas and Scott Moore previously wrote the screenplays for The Hangover and Bad Moms so known exactly what to expect from Spa Weekend as seen in the trailer, it could spark some interest but unlikely to be another Bad Moms or The Hangover. It feels like it is trying to be those films and also Bridesmaids, Girls Trip but it ends up looking more like 2017’s Rough Night (opened £244,462 #11 the same weekend in August) trying to be those other films.

2016’s Bad Moms opened £1,471,466 taking £8,141,704

• Coyote Vs. Acme – Altitude

Live-action animated comedy starring Will Forte, Lana Condor, Luis Guzmán and John Cena and directed by Dave Green based on 1990 The New Yorker magazine article Coyote v. Acme featuring Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.

The film has a crazy history started development in 2018 was filmed in 2022 was due to be released in July 2023 (replaced by Barbie) and Warner Bros shelved the film (and Supergirl) as tax write off. There was a backlash to this decision with attempts to sell it, it was eventually sold to Ketchup Entertainment in March 2025 for $50m lower than the $80m they wanted to sell it for having spent $110m making it; Altitude acquired UK rights.

It was previewed at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25 receiving positive reactions calling it the best live-action animated film since Who Framed Roger Rabit.

• Stop! That! Train! – Universal Pictures

action comedy starring Ginger Minj, Jujubee and RuPaul Charles and many cameos, directed by Adam Shankman.

Received positive reviews; Deadline said it played homage to Airplane and Naked Gun films.

Ita likely to generate limited interest, the drag queens cast will generate strong social media.