Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | August 17, 2026
Three weeks in and Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still in charge. The Marvel sequel has officially crossed the $2 billion mark worldwide, with over $785.8 million of that coming from American audiences. Yes, it’s way ahead of the competition, but let’s give a shout out to The Odyssey, which officially overtook Toy Story 5 to become the second highest-grossing film of 2026 so far, with $1.29 billion to its name. Both films are holding on strong with domestic audiences, bolstered by great word of mouth. It’s not as though audiences are short of other options either, but the new releases of the past weekend stumbled.
At number three is The End of Oak Street with $21 million. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor’s dino flick has gotten surprisingly strong reviews but alas, for all of our grumbling about wanting original movies in cinemas, audiences generally still prefer what they know. Maybe Warner Bros. should have spread rumours that this one was actually a Jurassic Park spinoff.
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie debuted at number four with $20.5 million. That’s soft for a domestic opening but this franchise does way better overseas. Let’s restart the “are the PAW Patrol part of ACAB” discourse!
Apparently, Katseye is a popular band. I know I’m getting old because all of their songs make me feel like Grandpa Simpson complaining about how he used to be with it before they changed what it was. Katseye: Wild Hearts is apparently a “celebration to the group’s new era and the fans who made it possible.” The fanbase must be pretty niche because this one only landed at number five and earned $3.95 million.
At number six, fittingly, is Six: The Musical Live! with $3 million. Live broadcasts of stage shows are big business but a lot of producers think doing musical proshots will lead to fewer ticket sales. This is false. Movies and theatre are two different things, and audiences typically want both. Hadestown: The Musical has made $20.6 million in a month. Accessibility is profitable!
For the dads of the world, there was The Brink of War, a film about the Cold War starring Jeff Daniels as Reagan and Jared Harris as Gorbachev, courtesy of Angel Studios. It negotiated an opening weekend gross of $2.68 million.
Vishwanath and Sons is one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2026 in India. In America, it grossed $1.63 million from 350 theatres and landed at number ten. Right behind that is Your Name, the beloved anime film which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, with $1,578,609.
The Rivals of Amziah King is only Matthew McConaughey’s second live-action film of the 2020s. It’s a genre-blending neo-Western thriller that’s opening with very little buzz. Despite great reviews, it only earned just over $1 million. Is the McConaissance fully over?
The Wrong Girls, a stoner comedy starring Kristen Stewart, took in $406,482. Elijah Peel, a faith-based drama about a reformed rocker finding Jesus, earned $250,551. The drama Union County, starring Will Poulter and Noah Centineo, grossed $68,461. American Doctor, a documentary about three doctors who go to Gaza to save lives during the genocide, brought in $40,061 from one location.
This coming week sees the wide releases for Tony and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, plus the releases of the horror It Ends, the comedy Spa Weekend, and horror sequel Insidious: Out of the Further.
You can check out the rest of the weekend box office numbers here.
