Summer box office heats up as weekend ticket sales top $160M

The summer box office is off to a sizzling start — and it’s only getting started.

Over the weekend, domestic ticket sales topped $161 million, a nearly 88% improvement over the same three-day frame in 2025. Disney and 20th Century Studio’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2” led the pack, adding $41.6 million during its second week, followed by Warner Bros.′ “Mortal Kombat II,” which snared $38.5 million during its opening. Lionsgate’s “Michael” brought in another $37.9 million in its third week in theaters.

The weekend was bolstered by new releases like Amazon MGM’s “The Sheep Detectives” and Paramount’s “Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” as well as holdovers from Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which is in its sixth week, and Amazon’s “Project Hail Mary,” which is in its eighth week.

Together, they made for a standout weekend at the movies as the industry chases a $10 billion annual U.S. box office.

“The second weekend in May often provides solid returns from newcomers that bridge the gap between the opening weekend of the summer and the important Memorial Weekend coming up in about 2 weeks,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore. “But the impressive long-term playability of ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ and ‘Project Hail Mary’ serve as a reminder of the vital importance of holdover strength to the overall health of the industry.”

Of the top 10 performers of the weekend, seven were returning titles. Five of those films reported a drop in ticket sales of less than 50% from the prior weekend, according to data from Comscore.

For box office analysts this is an important metric. Typically, movies will see a 50% to 70% drop each weekend. When ticket sales post smaller declines week after week, it means a film is generating strong word-of-mouth buzz and new moviegoers are buying tickets — or that audiences are returning to see the film again.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” saw a 46% drop in second-week ticket sales, “Michael” declined just 30% between its second and third week in theaters, and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” saw a 45% dip from its fifth to sixth weekend. Most impressive is “Project Hail Mary,” which fell just 23% in its eighth week. Ticket sales for Neon’s “Hokum” were down 49% in its second week.

These trends bode well for the domestic box office. Through Sunday, the 2026 calendar has generated $3.02 billion, a 16% jump from the same period last year, Comscore data shows.

“From a high-level view, it’s fair to suggest escapism and ease of access may be important factors,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory. “Historically, while ticket prices have also increased over time, going to the theater remains one of the more affordable out-of-house entertainment options for individuals, couples, and families who may or may not have spring and summer vacation plans in flux due to other economic uncertainties and hardships.”

Ticket sales still lag from 2019 levels, the last true benchmark before the pandemic stymied moviegoing. At this point in the year in 2019, the box office had secured $3.8 billion domestically. However, more than $720 million of that was from the record-breaking release of Disney and Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame.”

The summer movies season, which runs from the first weekend in May through Labor Day in September, is also about to get a boost from several blockbuster titles.

Disney’s first new Star Wars theatrical release in seven years arrives in late May with “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” It will be followed by Pixar’s “Toy Story 5″ in June alongside Warner Bros. “Supergirl.” Then in July, Disney has the live-action “Moana,” Universal is set to release Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

“Ebbs and flows will naturally occur within the full year’s box office narrative as they always have,” Robbins said. “Momentum is as good as the most recent hit or misfire, but the bottom line right now is that the industry is enjoying something near a best-case realistic scenario with so much success on the books before the heart of a high-potential summer movie season fully arrives”

CNBC