Spider-Man becomes 2026 top-grossing movie

Sony and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” became the highest-grossing movie of 2026 worldwide on August 5, overtaking Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” after seven days in release, Variety reported. The trade publication said the film reached about $1.15 billion globally, citing studio tallies. CNBC reported the same day that the movie had also crossed the $1 billion mark, joining the year’s list of billion-dollar releases. Tom Holland and Zendaya star in the film, which opened domestically on July 31, according to box-office tracking sites. Variety reported earlier this week that the movie collected $355 million from 4,487 North American theaters in its opening weekend, while Box Office Mojo and The Numbers show worldwide grosses above $1.15 billion as of August 6. (variety.com) ### How fast did it move past the rest of the 2026 field? Variety reported on August 5 that “Brand New Day” passed “Toy Story 5” in just seven days. The outlet said “Toy Story 5” had been the year’s top global earner before Spider-Man moved ahead. Forbes, citing the same box-office race, reported that “Brand New Day” stood at about $1.10 billion as of Wednesday, just above the roughly $1.07 billion total for “Toy Story 5.” (variety.com) The Numbers listed “Brand New Day” at $1,155,469,617 worldwide, including $449,169,617 domestic and $706,300,000 international. Those figures align with the broad range cited by Variety and other outlets covering the milestone. ### Which records helped push it there? Variety reported on August 3 that “Brand New Day” opened to $355 million in North America, calling it the second-biggest domestic debut in box-office history behind 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” Forbes reported later that final weekend estimates put the domestic opening at $360 million, enough to edge past “Endgame” for the biggest domestic debut on record. (variety.com) (the-numbers.com) Variety also reported that the film reached $927 million worldwide in its opening weekend alone. That early haul left it close to the $1 billion threshold before the start of its first full week in theaters. ### How does this fit into the broader 2026 box office? CNBC reported on August 5 that “Brand New Day” became the fourth billion-dollar movie of 2026. (variety.com) The network said the year’s other billion-dollar films were “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” “Michael” and “Toy Story 5,” citing industry analysts who described the performance as part of a broader theatrical recovery. (variety.com) CNBC said the run of billion-dollar films follows several years in which theaters struggled to regain pre-pandemic momentum. The outlet attributed the rebound argument to analysts and industry observers, rather than the studios themselves. ### Who is behind the release? Sony Pictures is distributing the film, and Marvel is the studio partner on the latest Spider-Man installment, according to Variety. (cnbc.com) Box Office Mojo lists the title as “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and identifies it as a 2026 release starring Holland in his fourth solo outing as the character. The release dates were staggered across markets in late July, according to The Numbers, which lists some international openings beginning July 20 and the wide domestic release on July 31. That rollout helped build the international share of the gross, which has already surpassed $700 million. ### What should readers watch next? Second-weekend grosses are the next concrete test for the film’s pace. (variety.com) Daily updates from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers will show whether “Brand New Day” widens its lead over “Toy Story 5,” while weekend studio estimates are likely to be reported again by Variety and CNBC. (boxofficemojo.com) (the-numbers.com)