Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Shatters Opening Day Box Office Record at $168M
Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opened to a record $168 million domestic opening day on August 1, shattering the previous record of $157 million held by “Avengers: Endgame” from 2019. The total includes $72 million from previews — themselves a record — generated through Wednesday early access screenings for Prime Video subscribers and Thursday showings beginning at noon. With an A CinemaScore, Sony is projecting a domestic opening weekend of $325 million, while industry rivals estimate as high as $358 million — either figure would rank among the highest opening weekends in North American history. Worldwide, the film is estimated to open to approximately $925 million.
Lioness Season 3 Launches on Paramount+ with Stakes-Raising Ukraine Mission
Taylor Sheridan’s CIA espionage series “Lioness” returned for its third season on Paramount+ on August 2, starring Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman. TheWrap’s review praises the season as “its highest-stakes mission yet,” with the Lioness team deployed on “its most personal assignment yet” — involving hidden foreign networks, personal betrayals, and an extraction sequence set in war-torn Ukraine. The reviewer notes that the series is “fully foregoing its original premise” to raise the dramatic stakes, with Kidman occupying a central narrative role. Paramount+ is positioning the season premiere as the centerpiece of its August prestige content calendar.
Sources: The Wrap
Spider-Man’s Opening Weekend Could Smash North American Box Office Records
The opening weekend of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is projected to deliver one of August’s biggest box office performances in North American history, with Sony projecting a $325 million domestic opening frame while industry rivals estimate as high as $358 million. The film’s opening weekend directly threatens the all-time opening weekend record of $357 million, held by “Avengers: Endgame,” which if broken would make “Brand New Day” the highest-grossing domestic opening of all time. The film received an A CinemaScore, indicating strong audience enthusiasm. Worldwide, Sony estimates a combined global opening of approximately $925 million.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Jul 31 | $325.0M | $325.0M |
| 2 | The Odyssey | Jul 18 | $26.0M | $312.3M |
| 3 | Hadestown: The Musical | Jul 24 | $6.5M | $16.1M |
| 4 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 13 | $6.0M | $454.5M |
| 5 | Moana | Jun 26 | $5.5M | $107.9M |
| 6 | Minions & Monsters | Jun 5 | $5.0M | $160.3M |
| 7 | Evil Dead Burn | Jul 10 | $1.3M | $30.4M |
| 8 | The Invite | Jul 3 | $1.2M | $21.0M |
| 9 | Young Washington | Jun 12 | $0.7M | $45.6M |
| 10 | Motor City | Jul 24 | $0.7M | $2.3M |
| 11 | I Want Your Sex | Jul 31 | $0.5M | $0.5M |
| 12 | Obsession | May 15 | $0.4M | $261.7M |
| 13 | Boyhood (Re-release) | Aug 1 | $0.3M | $0.3M |
| 14 | The Mandalorian & Grogu | May 22 | $0.2M | $162.2M |
| 15 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 20 | $0.2M | $347.2M |
| 16 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 1 | $0.2M | $432.2M |
| 17 | Michael | Apr 24 | $0.1M | $362.1M |
| 18 | Backrooms | May 29 | $0.1M | $148.1M |
| 19 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1 | $0.1M | $219.1M |
| 20 | Disclosure Day | Jun 5 | $0.1M | $98.1M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates
Curated by JD · samwise.agency