Sony (L) | Universal (R)
Hollywood has a new summer record.
The domestic box office tallied $4.76 billion in ticket sales during the period between May 1 and Sept. 7, the highest haul in cinematic history.
The key moviegoing season, which starts the first weekend in May and runs through Labor Day weekend, is a pivotal piece of the theatrical calendar, typically responsible for 40% of the total annual domestic box office.
The previous summer record was cemented in 2013 when films including Disney and Marvel’s “Iron Man 3,” Illumination’s “Despicable Me 2,” Warner Bros. ‘ “Man of Steel,” Pixar’s “Monsters University” and Universal’s “Fast & Furious 6” led the period to $4.75 billion.
The 2026 season was boosted by Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and Universal’s “The Odyssey,” which together contributed more than $1.5 billion to the summer tally, or more than 30%.
It was also helped by an extra week of ticket sales. In 2013, the summer began on May 3 and ended Sept. 2, a period that was seven days shorter.
“This should be a blueprint for future summers,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak. “One movie should not have to carry an entire season. You need the event pictures, the family films, the breakout surprises, and the independent films working together to keep people coming back. This summer showed what that combination can deliver.”
The summer 2026 box office ended nearly 10% ahead of 2019, according to data from Rentrak, the year before Covid shutdowns hamstrung ticket sales and before streaming took a bite out of moviegoing in earnest.
This strong showing has positioned the 2026 year-to-date haul to be just 7.5%, or $595 million, behind that pre-pandemic marker and reaffirmed box office analysts’ predictions that the full-year box office can top $10 billion for the first time in seven years.
Heading into the summer movie season, 2026 lagged behind 2019 by 24%, or about $830 million in sales, according to Rentrak.
While this year’s box office is making gains, the figures don’t tell the full story.
The shifting movie landscape
Cinema operators, studios and analysts are celebrating the strong summer, citing a return to pre-pandemic normalcy, but industry dynamics have shifted.
The post-pandemic era in the theatrical space has been defined by fewer screens, fewer moviegoers and fewer movies.
Theaters may still appear crowded, but there are fewer auditoriums, meaning attendance remains down from 2019 levels by almost a quarter of a billion admissions, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.
And, there are fewer films to see on the big screen. So far in 2026, only 68 films have garnered wide releases — meaning they opened in or eventually played in more than 2,000 theaters — according to data from Rentrak. That’s a 14% drop from the same period in 2019, when 79 films had wide releases.
These declines have been masked by higher movie ticket prices, particularly from premium large-format, or PLF, experiences, which are particularly popular with Gen Z and millennials.
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In 2019, the average movie ticket cost $9.16, according to exhibition trade organization Cinema United. In 2026, a ticket costs an average of $12.75, according to market research from EntTelligence. And that’s just for a standard screening.
PLF tickets average around $18.26, according to data from EntTelligence, with Imax skewing that figure with its $20.57 average ticket price.
Audiences are increasingly opting for these more expensive PLF screenings and have yet to be deterred by the price tag. Tickets are consistently selling out for specialty screenings like Imax’s 70 mm showings of “The Odyssey” and the upcoming “Dune: Part Three.”
There’s such demand for premium screenings that studios are getting creative when marketing their films.
Disney, for example, will be shut out of Imax screens when “Avengers: Doomsday” is released on the same day as the third “Dune” in December. In response, the company has created a certification for PLF theaters that it’s calling “Infinity Vision.” Essentially, Disney is promoting cinemas that have big screens, “bright images and outstanding sound.”
“When you see the Infinity Vision badge, you know you are in for an incredible theatrical experience,” the company touts on a dedicated website for the certification.
Already the film has snared more than $50 million in presales, Disney said Wednesday during the Goldman Sachs’ Communcacopia + Technology conference. The company noted that more than 70% of sales are for Infinity Vision tickets.
What are moviegoers watching?
At the same time that audiences are embracing big blockbusters on the biggest screens, the theatrical industry has also seen a return of moviegoers for smaller-budget and genre films.
Notably, this summer movie season didn’t kick off with a big-budget action film or superhero team-up. Instead, the first major hit of the season came with the release of Disney’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” That was followed by Universal’s “Obsession” and A24’s “Backrooms,” two low-budget horror films from YouTube creators-turned-filmmakers.
It was further fueled by residual ticket sales of Lionsgate’s “Michael,” the Michael Jackson biopic, which debuted in April. Then “Toy Story 5” arrived in mid-June. Those five films combined generated more than $1.4 billion toward the summer haul.
“This summer demonstrated the importance of a consistent flow of compelling content that appeals to a wide variety of moviegoers, coupled with the unique draw of the larger-than-life, immersive environment our movie theaters provide,” Justin McDaniel, senior vice president of global content at Cinemark , wrote in a statement last week after the cinema chain surpassed its previous summer box office record ahead of Labor Day weekend.
Marcus Theatres, the fourth-largest theater circuit in North America, also posted a record summer period. The company noted that not only did summer revenue hit an all-time high, but so did its concession, merchandise and food and beverage sales. It also marked the highest summer attendance since 2019 and the highest premium large-format screen attendance for any summer, Marcus said.
“The tremendous turnouts for a wide range of diverse films created unique memory-making moments for all audiences — from the tears to the laughter to the thrills and chills — that cannot be replicated at home,” Jeff Tomachek, president of Marcus Theatres, wrote in a statement Tuesday. “As we look ahead to the rest of the year, several new and highly anticipated films await, giving moviegoers even more reason to enjoy a great time at the movies with friends and family.”
In addition to the dual release of “Dune: Part Three” and “Avengers: Doomsday,” dubbed “Dunesday,” the final four months of the 2026 slate include a slew of horror films — “Resident Evil,” “Clayface” and “Other Mommy” — as well as smaller-budget genre films like “Practical Magic 2,” “Digger,” “Wicker” and “Verity” alongside bigger-budget movies like “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” “Hexed” and “Jumanji: Open World.”

Yes, peak TV is over — but we challenge you even to begin watching all the great shows that will premiere in the coming weeks, or even catch up with the new good ones that came out this summer. Are you all caught up on “Furious” on Hulu and “Sterling Point” on Prime Video and HBO’s “Lanterns” and Netflix’s “My Brilliant Career”? We didn’t think so! (Whispers: Neither are we.)
Just since September started a mere nine days ago, Season 2 of “The Gentlemen” and FX’s “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga” both premiered. What we’re saying is, peak TV or not, there continues to be an embarrassment of riches across television, and that will continue this fall, as you will see below. (Shout out to the actual show “Below,” where Josh Hartnett plays a small-town fisherman battling a sea monster! We’ve been too scared to watch the screeners, but will soon.)
This list doesn’t include everything, of course. There are shows that haven’t been dated, like Netflix’s highly anticipated “Pride & Prejudice” remake, starring Emma Corrin as Lizzy Bennet. And several network shows that typically come out in the fall, such as CBS’ “Matlock” and ABC’s “High Potential,” will be premiering midseason. As for network staples we know you’ll find on your own, there’s Fox’s “Best Medicine” and “Doc” double feature, premiering on Sept. 22; CBS’ “Marshals” and “Tracker” on Oct. 4; “Abbott Elementary” has its Season 6 (six! where does the time go?) premiere on Oct. 7; the One Chicago shows premiere on Oct. 7; “Law & Order: SVU” and “Law & Order” on Oct. 8; ABC’s “9-1-1,” “9-1-1: Nashville” and “Grey’s Anatomy” premiere on Oct. 15; and NBC brings back “St. Denis Medical” for Season 3 and “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” for Season 2 on Nov. 2.
“South America” — the artist formerly known as “South Park” — has already entered the zeitgeist before its Sept. 16 premiere on Comedy Central, with its Emmys win and Trump-mocking name change; the docuseries “Jay-Z in 8” premieres on Sept. 18 (but missed our cutoff for inclusion); Netflix’s Omar Sy-starring series “Lupin: Part 4” returns for the first time since 2023 on Oct. 23, and Season 2 of the streamer’s delightful spy thriller “Black Doves,” starring Keira Knightley, will drop on Nov. 5; Season 4 of “Tulsa King” premieres on Paramount+ on Oct. 16 — and, last but not least, Season 3 of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” returns to Disney+ on Nov. 20.
One last disclosure: Obviously, Christmas will bring the series premiere of HBO’s “Harry Potter,” and that is decidedly … in the winter. This is an inarguable fact! But given that the show is going to be one of the biggest pop culture events of the year, and will also fuel the discourse machine because of J.K. Rowling, we just had to include it. Please don’t place us under one of the unforgivable curses; we only mean to serve.
Enough of these ramblings! Let’s get to the list.

NEED TO KNOW
Brandon Thomas Lee, son of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, is engaged to Katarina Demetriades
The Emmy-nominated producer proposed during a trip to Indonesia on Aug. 29
Brandon and Demetriades began dating in 2025 after years of friendship
Brandon Thomas Lee is engaged!
Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s older son, 30, proposed to Katarina Demetriades on Saturday, Aug. 29, during a trip to Indonesia, PEOPLE can confirm.
The two grew up in Los Angeles, and were friends for years before they began dating in 2025. They now live in New York and plan to marry in late 2027.
Brandon is an Emmy-nominated producer and CEO and Head of Production at And Her Son’s Productions. He produced the Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story about his mother and executive produced The Last Showgirl, which starred Anderson.
He is also a co-founder of the skincare brand Sonsie.
Meanwhile, Demetriades is a philosophy major at New York University.
Anderson, 59, and Tommy, 63, became parents just a year after they married with the arrival of Brandon in 1996. Their second son, Dylan Jagger Lee, 28, followed in 1997.
The actress-model and the musician divorced in 1998 after three years of marriage, but reunited at Dylan’s wedding earlier this year. Dylan’s marriage to interior designer Paula Bruss was announced in July. The newlyweds tied the knot in Saint-Tropez, the same place where they got engaged two years prior.
Anderson told Vogue at the time that watching her younger son get married was an “emotional moment” for her. She shared, “Tears are catching me off guard at times — happy tears. But as Khalil Gibran says, ‘As parents, we are the bow from which life springs.’ ”
She added to PEOPLE in July, “It’s so emotional. It kind of catches you off guard even because we’ve all been living such independent lives. My boys are very independent and they’ve all lived on their own for many years and [he and Paula have] been together for nine years, but it really did feel like, oh, ‘Dylan is not mine anymore. He and Paula belong together.’ ”
Brandon attended the celebration with his now-fiancée, marking their first prominent public appearance together.

The 52nd edition of “Saturday Night Live”, which will feature a host of stars, is set to take place in the fall.
Katseye, a popular K-pop band, will provide the music for the premiere of the new season, which is set to be broadcast on September 26. Jalen, the host, recently won the NBA Championship with the New York Knicks, and Jalen Brunson are the hosts. The “SNL’ debuts of both Brunson and Katseye are set for Sept. 26.
Dakota Johnson will headline the Oct. 3, 2018 episode, along with hardcore rock group Turnstile. Johnson’s film “Verity”, which hits cinemas Oct. 2, will be her third appearance on “SNL”. Turnstile, who are currently touring with their Never Enough Tour Pt., make their debut at “SNL.” 2.
On Oct. 10, Shane Gillis, with Rosalia performing as his musical guest will be hosting “SNL for the third consecutive time. Gillis recently broke the Guinness World Record of the largest audience for a stand-up show this summer, and released Season 3 on Netflix. Rosalia is wrapping up her Lux World Tour the month prior to her second appearance at “SNL.”
Gracie Abrams will return to the “SNL,” for the second consecutive time, after releasing her album, “Daughter From Hell,” earlier in the year.
The “SNL’s” offseason has not been very exciting. However, the most important update is that Chloe Fineman has left the show after seven years. Martin Herlihy who appeared in four seasons of Please Don’t Destroy as a cast member and also worked on the Season 51 writers’ room, is no longer a part of the show.
The British version of “Saturday Night Live” announced its date for the premiere of its second season before the American one. Jeff Goldblum will host the show and CMAT will be the musical guest. This series will feature the entire cast of its first season and run 12 episodes.
Will Ferrell was one of the hosts for “SNL’s” Season 51, along with Bad Bunny and Matt Damon. Musical guests included Doja cat, Sombr and Cher. Harry Styles and Sabrina Carpenter, as well as Olivia Rodrigo, all served as host and musical guests.
Variety asked some Season 51’s newcomers what they hoped to achieve in their sophomore year.
Jeremy Culhane commented, “The older people do a great job of capturing themselves in sketches. People like Andrew Dismukes and James Austin Johnson are excellent at this.” “That’s a skill I would love to improve.”
Veronika Slowikowski continued, “And by working together.” This year we all tried to do our own thing, which was understandable. “Next year, I would like to create characters with my friends.”

Kroy Biermann Jr. (15 years old) is Kim Zolciak’s son. He has taken a significant step in the case of sexual assault. The case is being transferred by his legal team to the juvenile courts. A Georgia grand jury had indicted KJ on seven felonies. KJ is still in jail as the case progresses.
KJ Biermann, indicted for seven felonies, seeks to be tried as a juvenile
Page Six reports that KJ’s attorney Jason Sheffield has filed a request to move the case from adult court to juvenile court. In the motion, it is also requested that confidentiality procedures be followed. Sheffield stated that the state plans to prosecute KJ as a grown-up. The defense, he said, wants KJ to be “tried as a child.”
Sheffield said that the defense also expects KJ to plead not guilty at his arraignment on October 14. He told the outlet that he expected to plead not guilty to all of KJ’s charges. KJ is facing seven felonies, including child abuse, sodomy, and sexual assault. Also, he faces charges of false imprisonment and three counts each of sexual assault against a minor under the age 16 as well as aggravated sodomy.
KJ’s situation stems from a alleged incident on April 23, involving a classmate. She accused him of sexual assault at a gym located in Alpharetta in Georgia. KJ, who was arrested in Atlanta on August 17, remains there at the Metro Regional Youth Detention Center. According to Fulton County Court records, his bond hearing has been scheduled for September 11.
Sheffield criticised the length of time KJ spent in custody while waiting for a bail hearing. He told Page Six that it was difficult to understand how a child of 14 or 15 years old could be detained for up to a month while awaiting a hearing. The detective had decided to hold KJ for serious crimes, he said. Now, the defense hopes that the case will be transferred to the juvenile court system.