‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Swings Into the Box Office Top Three, and the Numbers Are Staggering

Few movie characters have a track record at the box office like Spider-Man. ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ grossed $1.921 billion in 2021, a figure that seemed like a ceiling for the web-slinger. When Sony and Marvel set out to follow it up, the question was whether lightning could strike a second time.

The answer started with a bang. ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ opened on July 31 to $360.1 million in North America, the biggest domestic opening weekend of all time. It narrowly beat the $357.1 million that ‘Avengers: Endgame’ posted in 2019, and it came after a record $168 million opening day.

The film has now climbed higher than almost anyone expected. ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the third-highest-grossing film of all time. According to Sony’s figures, the total stands at $2.506 billion, with $955 million from North America and $1.551 billion from international markets.

Even the early numbers hinted at something historic. The global opening of $932 million is the second-biggest of all time, behind only the $1.22 billion that ‘Avengers: Endgame’ posted in 2019. The film then reached $2 billion after just 3 weekends, becoming the second-fastest movie to hit that mark, after ‘Endgame’, which did it in 11 days.

The momentum carried over to the domestic chart, where the film overtook ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ as the highest-grossing release ever in North America. ‘The Force Awakens’ had held that record for 10 years with $936.66 million, and Deadline reported that ‘Brand New Day’ passed it in September. Box Office Mojo now lists the domestic total at about $959 million.

The worldwide climb has been a steady run through some of the biggest names in cinema history. The film first knocked ‘Titanic’ out of the global top 5, then moved into fourth place before passing ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ to land in third. Only ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and ‘Avatar’ remain ahead of it.

Along the way, it picked up a long list of titles. Screen Rant notes that it is the highest-grossing ‘Spider-Man’ film, the highest-grossing solo superhero movie and the highest-grossing Sony release of all time. It is also only the third movie in history to pass $2.5 billion, and it is the highest-grossing film of 2026.

The numbers have been backed by strong word of mouth. Audiences gave ‘Brand New Day’ an A CinemaScore, and it holds a 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe stars Tom Holland and Zendaya alongside Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal and Mark Ruffalo.

The story strips Peter Parker down to a lonely, isolated hero who is dedicated to protecting New York City. That more vulnerable tone, plus appearances by characters such as the Punisher and Hulk, helped turn the movie into an event. Holland has also reached a milestone of his own, since he has appeared in all 4 of the biggest opening weekends ever.

The film was not cheap. It cost a reported $225 million to produce, not including marketing, but the box office results suggest it has more than paid for itself.

The final trailer for ‘SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’ has been released. In theaters on July 31. https://t.co/D6Mh3fCjZN

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 21, 2026

The next question is how much higher the film can climb. Screen Rant reports that the movie has slowed enough that catching ‘Endgame’, whose re-release this fall pushed its total back to the top of the chart, now looks highly unlikely. By the time the film entered its tenth weekend in theaters, the focus had shifted to protecting its place in the top 3.

The competition is about to heat up again. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ arrives on December 18 with Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, and it will take over the conversation for Marvel fans. For now, though, Peter Parker’s latest adventure stands as one of the most successful films ever made.

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