‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ Just Pushed AMC Theatres Into Uncharted Territory

Not long ago, a victory lap for AMC Theatres would have sounded like a stretch. In the third quarter of 2025, the chain’s revenue was $1.3 billion, and it posted a net loss of $298.2 million. For a company that spent years digging out from pandemic-era debt, the road back looked long.

Then 2026 arrived with a stacked release calendar. Back in February, CEO Adam Aron pointed to ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ ‘Moana,’ ‘Dune: Part Three’ and ‘The Odyssey’ as titles that should drive meaningful growth for the rest of the year. The summer proved him right, and then some.

Variety now reports that the blockbuster success of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ fueled a record-breaking quarter for AMC. Total revenue for the three months ended Sept. 30 hit $1.71 billion, up 31.6% from $1.30 billion a year earlier. Those two films were the top-grossing titles of the quarter.

That is the biggest sales haul ever posted by the world’s largest cinema chain, eclipsing the previous high of $1.60 billion set in the second quarter of 2026, which was led by ‘Project Hail Mary’ and ‘Michael.’ Before 2026, AMC’s all-time quarterly revenue record dated back to the second quarter of 2019, and this was its second consecutive record-setting quarter.

The bottom line improved just as dramatically. AMC swung to net earnings of $109.3 million, compared with that $298.2 million loss a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA reached a record $347.5 million, up 183.7%, while the adjusted EBITDA margin hit a record 20.3%.

Aron seemed to relish the moment. “Sometimes short but sweet is the best way to summarize performance,” he said in the company’s earnings release. He credited a resurgent box office, market share gains in both domestic and international markets, and record revenue per patron.

The premium experience played a big part in that story. Premium and extra-large format screens made up just 8% of AMC’s screen count but generated 31% of its U.S. admissions revenue, and those revenues grew 62% year over year. Nearly 75 million guests visited AMC theaters around the world during the quarter.

The growth was not limited to the United States. Domestic revenue grew 29% and international revenue grew 40%. The wider industry is also moving at a pace it has not seen in years, with domestic theatrical revenue already topping $8 billion, a milestone the industry did not reach last year until December.

The momentum looks set to continue. Aron highlighted fourth quarter anticipation based on strong results for October and the upcoming slate, and AMC expects positive free cash flow for full-year 2026. Through the first 9 months of the year, AMC has generated a record $4.35 billion in revenue.

For a chain that spent years on the brink, that is a remarkable reversal. With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Dune: Part Three’ still on the way, AMC may not be finished setting records.