Spider-Man becomes 2026's highest-grossing film after seven-day box-office surge

Sony and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” became the highest-grossing movie of 2026 within seven days of release, according to Variety, overtaking Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5.” Variety reported on Aug. 5 that the film had reached about $1.15 billion worldwide, a pace that put it ahead of every other release this year. CNBC reported the same day that the movie had also pushed Hollywood to its fourth billion-dollar title of 2026. The film stars Tom Holland and Zendaya and was released by Sony Pictures. ### How fast did “Brand New Day” get to the top of the 2026 chart? Variety reported that “Brand New Day” passed “Toy Story 5” after just one week in theaters, making it the year’s top global grosser by Aug. 5. The outlet said the film had taken in roughly $1.15 billion worldwide by that point. A separate Variety report said the movie reached $1 billion globally in six days after beginning its overseas rollout two days before its domestic debut. (variety.com) That made it the second-fastest film ever to cross the billion-dollar mark, behind 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” according to Variety. ### Which films was it competing against? (variety.com) CNBC reported that “Brand New Day” joined three other 2026 billion-dollar releases: Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” Lionsgate’s “Michael,” and Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5.” That made it the fourth film this year to clear the benchmark, CNBC said. Variety said the immediate title it displaced at the top of the annual chart was “Toy Story 5.” The trade publication framed the move as a one-week jump past the previous leader rather than a gradual climb over several weekends. (variety.com) ### What box-office records did it set during the week? MSN’s pickup of industry box-office reporting said the film posted a $42 million Tuesday in North America, described as the biggest Tuesday ever at the domestic box office. (cnbc.com) The same report said worldwide grosses had reached $1.1 billion. Another report carried by MSN said the movie crossed $1 billion on Monday, while Hypebeast, citing Sony’s figures, reported a worldwide total of $1.155 billion and said the release also set a $47 million Monday record domestically. (variety.com) Those figures align with the pace described by Variety and CNBC. ### Who is behind the film? (msn.com) Sony Pictures is distributing “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” and Marvel Studios is the producing partner identified in multiple reports. The cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya and Sadie Sink, according to coverage of the box-office run. Box-office tracking cited in search results identified Destin Daniel Cretton as director and Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers among the writers. (msn.com) Those credits place the film within Sony and Marvel’s continuing Spider-Man series built around Holland’s version of the character. ### What comes next after the first seven days? The next public milestone is the film’s second weekend, which will test whether the record-setting opening week holds. (variety.com) Forbes projected on Aug. 5 that the release was headed toward a second weekend large enough to push it beyond $1.5 billion worldwide, though that projection remains an estimate rather than a reported result. (boxofficewatch.com) As of Aug. 5, the reported facts were that “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” had passed “Toy Story 5,” reached roughly $1.15 billion worldwide and joined the year’s four-film billion-dollar group. The next set of confirmed numbers will come with weekend box-office updates from studios and trade publications. (variety.com) (forbes.com)