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13h ago

Blockbusters and Premium Pricing Lift U.S. Box Office While Attendance Lags

Soaring sales of IMAX and other premium tickets are driving revenue gains even though total admissions remain far below pre-pandemic levels.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton poses with cast members Sadie Sink, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Krondon, Michael Mando, Liza Colon-Zayas, Tramell Tillman, and Jon Bernthal as they attend the world premiere for the film Spider-Man: Brand New Day in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
Cast member Zendaya attends the world premiere for the film Spider-Man: Brand New Day in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
Emma Thomas, Tom Holland, Matt Damon and Christopher Nolan pose on the red carpet during the Mumbai premiere of The Odyssey, in Mumbai, India, July 11, 2026. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
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Overview

  • The weekend’s paired releases of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey produced the biggest U.S. opening weekend on record and pushed exhibitors to their best recent weekend results.
  • Domestic box-office revenue reached about $6.2 billion through August 2, up roughly 15% year-over-year, with chains such as AMC reporting their highest single-weekend revenue and more than 10.2 million visitors across AMC and Odeon locations.
  • Ticketing data show the rebound is price-driven: average adult tickets were about $13.46 through July 30 while premium-format admissions such as IMAX averaged roughly $18.22, and premium seats account for a growing share of grosses.
  • Attendance remains well below 2019: U.S. theaters sold an estimated 470.9 million tickets through the first 30 weeks of 2026 versus 747.3 million in the same period of 2019, signaling recovery concentrated in event films rather than broad audience return.
  • The surge has tightened market dynamics overseas and at home—Hollywood racked up strong Indian receipts (more than £58 million for four big releases) and states, led by California, sued to block a proposed Paramount Skydance–Warner deal over concentration and job risks.