The North American box office recorded its biggest weekend ever, taking $429 million (£340m) from Friday to Sunday, driven largely by the opening of Sony/Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." The film posted the second-highest domestic opening of all time at $355 million, pushing the overall weekend past the previous record set at the end of 2019. The milestone is being seen as a strong signal for cinemas at a time when concerns persist over a possible Paramount-Warner Bros merger and as streaming giant Netflix's share price languishes near 12-month lows.

Year-to-date North American takings now stand at $6.19 billion, up 15% on the same point in 2025, with industry analysts suggesting the annual total could approach $10 billion for the first time since the pre-pandemic year of 2019, when the market finished at $11.4 billion. "Brand New Day" also earned $927 million worldwide, the second-best global opening ever, and could yet overtake "Avengers: Endgame's" $357.1 million domestic opening record. Cinema United chief executive Michael O'Leary hailed the achievement, while Rentrak's Paul Dergarabedian said the result raises the likelihood of a $4 billion summer and a $10 billion year.