When Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed $936 million in 2015, it was the top-grossing film in U.S. history by about $150 million. It was a huge number, thought to be untouchable, and in the decade since, while a few films made a run at it, they never got close.
One of those films was 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which grossed $814 million. Most saw that film as a once-in-a-lifetime thing too. The convergence of three different eras of Spider-Man could never be topped, especially not by its sequel.
But then that sequel came around, and from day one, it was clear something special was happening. First, Spider-Man: Brand New Day beat the all-time opening record held by Avengers: Endgame, making almost $400 million in a matter of days. It crossed $1 billion soon after that, $2 billion not long after, and then all bets were off. Could it cross $900 million? Could it beat Star Wars?
Well, as you can see in the headline, it did. In only 47 days—less than two months—Spider-Man: Brand New Day has surpassed the all-time domestic box office record set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 of $936,662,225. Plus, that took 165 days, according to Box Office Mojo. Here’s Sony’s victory lap.
Doesn’t get bigger than this.
Thank you to the fans for helping #SpiderManBrandNewDay make cinematic history – it’s now the highest-grossing domestic release of ALL TIME at the North American box office. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, exclusively in theatres.https://t.co/Gm9mNYn2jJ pic.twitter.com/gh8pnq1nzm
— Spider-Man Movie (@SpiderManMovie) September 16, 2026
Now, of course, there are a few factors to take into consideration here. Inflation and premium film formats are the biggest ones. Fewer people saw Spider-Man than Star Wars. They just paid more for it. But that number has never mattered in Hollywood. If it did, Gone With the Wind would be the highest-grossing film ever by a large margin. We know that ticket prices go up. We acknowledge it. And we put the crown on the next thing.
That next thing is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and it’s always fun to be present for history. This is history. Could it be the first film ever to cross a billion at the U.S. box office? That seems unlikely, as $65 million in additional grosses two months into release feels impossible. But so did every other record the film has broken so far.
Did you ever think Spider-Man could reach these heights? Let us know below.
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