Summer 2026 Box Office Reaches $4.765 Billion, Setting a New U.S. Summer Record

The useful part

box office had its highest-earning summer of all time this year, with $4.765 billion brought in for the season, barely surpassing the previous record of $4.756 billion back in the summer of 2013. Brand New Day, which has already broken records of its own, led with a whopping $923 million earned over the summer. Story 5 followed with $588 million and $480 million respectively, with other major releases like Michael and The Devil Wears Prada 2 trailing not too far behind (via Box Office Mojo).

How it works

• Horror hits Obsession and Backrooms unexpectedly soared to the list of top earners over the summer.
• With reported budgets of $10 million for Backrooms and $750,000 for Obsession and a summer box office of $197 million and $263 million respectively, these unexpected hits made the list of biggest...
• This list of heavy hitters, plus the success of the IMAX format, has put the 2026 summer season.
• While the film industry took a major hit in moviegoing after the 2020 lockdown, this year's box office numbers mark a significant comeback.
• With the recent reopenings of local theaters such as the Glendale Alex Theater and the Cinerama Dome, alongside these record-breaking numbers, the film industry seems to be booming once again in our city.

What to take from it

The horror hits Obsession and Backrooms, alongside The Odyssey, achieved high earnings while not forming part of a larger franchise. This is significant considering the past record of summer 2013 was almost purely held thanks to franchise films like Iron Man 3, Despicable Me 2, Man of Steel and Monsters University. L.A., as well as the rest of the country, is potentially looking at a new era of box office success.

Details worth keeping

Brand New Day helped movie theaters hit this all-time record. This recent surge in moviegoers could mean a lot for Los Angeles. Scroll to continue reading fresh drops Andrea Bocelli Brings 30 Years of 'Romanza' to the Hollywood Bowl Lake Hughes Woman Running Makeshift Animal Shelter Hit With Criminal Charges Black Restaurant Week is Back, Highlighting Local Business for Its 9th Year Dodgers Secure the NL West.

Related coverage

• Screendaily: Box office analyst Rentrak will release final data on September 8.
• Fanbolt: Summer 2026 needs $158M in eight days to beat 2013's $4.756B summer box office record. Here's the math, and the ticket count.
• Indiewire: A $4.765 billion summer was powered equally by "Spider-Man" and Christopher Nolan as it was "Obsession" and A24.