The 1A Movie Club goes to the theater in 2026

1A | Aug 10

Two blockbuster film releases are carrying the box office to new heights.

The first weekend of August was the biggest domestic box office in U.S. history — earning more than $429 million in three days. That was largely thanks to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey.”

Overall, 2026 is set to be the best year at the box office since before the pandemic. 

But it’s not all good news. In the grand scheme of things, fewer people are going to the cinema. According to one estimate, theaters have sold about 471 million tickets so far in 2026. In 2019, they sold more than 747 million in the same stretch.

Plus, there are some caveats to the current numbers. Hollywood’s August comeback moment is being powered by high ticket prices, premium formats like IMAX, and a small number of blockbusters turning moviegoing into an event rather than a regular activity.

The 1A Movie Club is in session. And this time we look into how moviegoing is changing and what this year means for the movie theatre industry.

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