Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Monday, August 24, 2026
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Claims Fourth No. 1 as Insidious: Out of the Further Opens to $25 Million
Spider-Man: Brand New Day claimed its fourth consecutive No. 1 weekend with $39 million domestically, pushing its North American cumulative to $854.9 million and closing in on Avengers: Endgame’s $858.3 million all-time record. Sony scored a double victory as Insidious: Out of the Further, the sixth franchise installment from Blumhouse and Screen Gems, opened to $25.3 million from 3,303 theaters against an $18 million production budget. Lionsgate’s Jason Statham thriller Mutiny launched in sixth place with $7.5 million, while Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey continued its historic run with a sixth-weekend gross of $19.5 million.
The Odyssey Surpasses Deadpool & Wolverine as Highest-Grossing R-Rated Film in History
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has officially surpassed Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest-grossing R-rated film in global box office history, crossing $1.352 billion worldwide. The Universal Pictures epic, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, unseated the 2024 Marvel title, which concluded its worldwide run at $1.33 billion. The Odyssey also stands as Nolan’s biggest film ever, eclipsing The Dark Knight Rises, and ranks as the all-time highest-grossing release at the IMAX format, surpassing Avatar with more than $271 million in IMAX ticket sales alone. The milestone arrived in its sixth week of domestic release.
Emmy Nominees Stage Final Campaign Stops as Voting Enters Its Last Stretch
Emmy nominees staged final FYC campaign events across Los Angeles this weekend as balloting for the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards entered its last stretch, with voting closing on August 26. Studios and streaming services gathered casts and creators from contending shows including Abbott Elementary, Beef, Hacks, The Bear, The Diplomat, and The Pitt for in-person screenings and voter Q&As. Deadline reported that showbiz documentary series are resonating unusually strongly with Television Academy voters this cycle, a trend observers attribute to voter appetite for behind-the-scenes storytelling following years of scripted dominance. All campaigns concluded by Sunday, with Emmy winners to be announced later this month.
HBO’s The Pitt Dominates Astra TV Awards With Seven Trophies; Netflix’s Beef Claims Five
HBO’s The Pitt dominated the 6th annual Astra TV Awards on Saturday, taking home seven trophies including Drama Series, while Netflix’s Beef followed with five wins, including Limited Series. Hosted by Lisa Ann Walter at the InterContinental Los Angeles, the Hollywood Creative Alliance ceremony also honored HBO Max’s Hacks and Apple TV+’s Shrinking, each winning four awards. Noah Wyle and Keri Russell claimed the Drama acting honors, while Jean Smart and Jason Segel took Comedy acting prizes. The Astra TV Awards cover all platforms — broadcast, cable, and streaming — and are voted on by industry professionals, giving them particular weight as Emmy final voting closes this week.
U.S. Domestic Box Office Crosses $7 Billion Milestone for 2026, Up 20 Percent Year-Over-Year
The U.S. domestic box office crossed the $7 billion milestone for the period of January 1–August 23, 2026, a gain of 20 percent over the same frame a year ago. The benchmark, confirmed by tracking data, was reached on a record-breaking summer anchored by Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, with summer 2026 at $4.4 billion — 26 percent ahead of summer 2025. The milestone places the year just seven percent behind the comparable 2019 frame, when the full domestic year finished at $11.4 billion, signaling that the theatrical industry’s pandemic-era recovery may be complete.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Jul 26 | $39.0M | $854.9M |
| 2 | Insidious: Out of the Further | Aug 21 | $25.3M | $25.3M |
| 3 | The Odyssey | Jul 12 | $19.5M | $539.2M |
| 4 | PAW Patrol: Dino Movie | Aug 15 | $9.1M | $35.4M |
| 5 | End of Oak Street | Aug 15 | $9.0M | $30.7M |
| 6 | Mutiny | Aug 22 | $7.5M | $7.5M |
| 7 | Katseye: Wild Hearts | Aug 15 | $7.2M | $21.5M |
| 8 | Six: The Musical Live | Aug 8 | $4.8M | $20.3M |
| 9 | The Brink of War | Aug 1 | $4.2M | $37.5M |
| 10 | The Magic Faraway Tree | Aug 21 | $1.4M | $1.4M |
| 11 | The Rivals of Amziah King | Aug 22 | $1.0M | $1.0M |
| 12 | Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | Aug 1 | $1.2M | $9.9M |
| 13 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 19 | $1.2M | $448.3M |
| 14 | Tony | Aug 15 | $0.9M | $1.9M |
| 15 | Disclosure Day | Jun 12 | $0.8M | $127.3M |
| 16 | Scary Movie (2026) | Jun 5 | $0.7M | $142.8M |
| 17 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 12 | $0.6M | $87.6M |
| 18 | Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow | Jul 3 | $0.4M | $62.1M |
| 19 | Motor City | Jul 24 | $0.3M | $7.3M |
| 20 | Obsession | May 15 | $0.3M | $38.4M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates, Aug 22–24, 2026
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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