Movies

Top 10 movies at the Box Office as Spider-Man dominates for 6 weeks straight

AP 07th September, 2026 02:30 AM

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” remained the No. 1 movie in theatres over the weekend, becoming just the second film this decade to top the box office for six straight weeks.

Since the end of July, the Sony superhero movie has ruled over cinemas with rare dominance. The last release to enjoy such a long stretch leading the box office was 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

“Brand New Day,” the fourth standalone Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland, collected $18 million (about Ksh2.33 billion) over the weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Sony is forecasting $23.3 million (about Ksh3.02 billion) for the four-day holiday weekend.

“Brand New Day” has grossed $2.4 billion (about Ksh310.62 billion) worldwide.

Universal Pictures’ “The Odyssey,” as it has for much of the “Spider-Man” run, remained in second place. Christopher Nolan’s epic added $13 million (about Ksh1.68 billion) domestically over the weekend, bringing its global haul to $1.63 billion (about Ksh210.96 billion).

More than $1 billion (about Ksh129.43 billion) of that has come from overseas sales, making “The Odyssey” the first to achieve that international milestone since 2009’s “Avatar.”

A scene from the upcoming epic film The Odyssey.PHOTO/https://www.facebook.com/OdysseyMovie — A scene from the upcoming epic film The Odyssey. PHOTO/https://www.facebook.com/OdysseyMovie

Both blockbusters — “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey” — helped lead Hollywood to its best summer since before the pandemic. Through Aug. 31, the domestic box office totalled $4.6 billion (about Ksh595.36 billion) for the season, according to Rentrak, an increase of 26.1% from 2025 and just shy of 2013’s record summer.

On Sunday, Rentrak forecast that, including the Labour Day weekend, the summer will end up with $4.759 billion (about Ksh616.01 billion), a whisker above the $4.758 billion (about Ksh615.88 billion) of summer 2013. That time frame, though, spans 130 days this year, compared with 123 days in 2013.

Accounting for inflation and higher ticket prices, Hollywood’s summer wasn’t quite so historically sensational. Admissions are still well below pre-pandemic marks.

But it’s nevertheless a remarkable rebound for a film industry that has struggled to string together such a hit-filled summer through the pandemic, labour strife and the expansion of streaming.

Labour Day weekend is typically a sleepy time in theatres. And neither new release — Paramount’s “By Any Means” and A24’s “Onslaught” — made much of a mark. One of the weekend’s best performers was “Coyote vs. Acme,” the hybrid live-action-animated Looney Tunes movie. It dipped a modest 29% to gross $11.3 million (about KSh1.46 billion) in its second weekend.

“Coyote vs. Acme” is turning out to be a good investment for Ketchup Entertainment. The indie distributor acquired the film for approximately $50 million (about Ksh6.47 billion) after Warner Bros., which produced the $70 million (about Ksh9.06 billion) film, opted to can it. In two weeks, “Coyote vs. Acme” has ridden strong reviews and good word-of-mouth to $33.8 million (about Ksh4.37 billion) domestically.

Wile E. Coyote with Will Forte and Lana Condor as his tech-savvy niece, during a scene.PHOTO/a screengrab by K24Digital from @coyoteacmemovie on YouTube

“By Any Means,” a 1960s-set civil rights action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, opened with $7.4 million (about Ksh957.74 million). Paramount is projecting $9.2 million (about Ksh1.19 billion) for the four-day holiday weekend. Audiences gave it a “B+” CinemaScore.

“Onslaught,” however, flopped with $1.9 million (about Ksh245.91 million) on 1,918 screens for the three-day weekend and a projection of $2.3 million (about Ksh297.68 million) for the four-day weekend.

The A24 release, directed by Adam Wingard, stars Adria Arjona as a former Army sniper who defends her trailer park home from three escaped, experimental super soldiers. “Onslaught” cost a modest $15 million (about Ksh1.94 billion) to make. But reviews (57% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a “C” CinemaScore) weren’t good.

Meanwhile, “Buddy,” a low-budget dark comedy, has turned into a surprise success. Made for just $3 million (about KSh388.28 million), the film, directed by Casper Kelly and from the producers of “Weapons,” is about a group of children trapped inside a surreal 1990s children’s television series.

After overperforming in its opening weekend, “Buddy” actually increased its ticket sales over its second weekend. The film grossed $5.7 million (about Ksh737.72 million), up 5%, to bring its two-week total to $14.3 million (about Ksh1.85 billion).