The US summer box office is within reach of a record, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day helping push the season over the line.
The domestic market is expected to reach about US$4.76 billion by the end of the Labour Day weekend. That would edge past the previous summer record of US$4.756 billion, set in 2013.
According to figures reported by Deadline, the three-day Labour Day weekend is expected to bring in about US$88 million. That would put the summer total at roughly US$4.732 billion by Sunday.
The four-day holiday weekend is the deciding factor. If the domestic market reaches between US$114.1 million and US$115.9 million, the 2026 summer would set a new record.
At the centre of the weekend is Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Sony and Marvel film is projected to take in US$23.3 million over four days, including about US$5.3 million on Labour Day. That would take its domestic total to around US$923 million after six weeks.
The film is now within about US$14 million of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which currently holds the domestic box office record at US$936.6 million.
A record for the summer would cap a strong run for the US theatrical market. August was the biggest August on record, generating about US$1.276 billion in domestic ticket sales. It passed the previous August record of US$1.02 billion, set in 2016.
The Odyssey is also contributing to the strong summer numbers. The Universal release is expected to add US$17.2 million over the four-day weekend, bringing its domestic total to about US$588.9 million.
The film has also passed US$1.5 billion worldwide. It is now within range of Jurassic World, which holds Universal’s global box office record at US$1.67 billion.
The rest of the Labour Day releases are operating on a much smaller scale. Coyote vs. Acme is expected to take about US$14.5 million over four days, while By Any Means is projected to finish with about US$9.1 million.
Disney’s 20th-anniversary re-release of Cars is also drawing audiences. It is expected to add about US$7.6 million over the four-day weekend, taking its lifetime domestic total to about US$251.6 million.
The weekend also shows the gap between major releases and smaller films. A24’s Onslaught is projected to make about US$2.3 million over four days. Lionsgate’s Fall 2: Deadpoint is expected to take about US$2.9 million.
Roadside Attractions and Saban’s Buddy is performing better than those newer releases. It is projected to make about US$7.2 million over four days, taking its domestic total to US$15.7 million after two weeks.
For the summer box office, though, the main figure is now US$4.756 billion.
The 2026 summer season has had 130 days, compared with 123 days in 2013. Despite the longer period, the market is now within a few million dollars of the record.
The Labour Day results will determine whether 2026 becomes the new benchmark. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also closing in on another record: the highest-grossing domestic film of all time.
