Summer Movies

By Ayla Sichi' 28

This summer, the domestic box office boasted an unparalleled profit of $4.67 billion in ticket sales, surpassing 2013’s longstanding record. Thirteen years later, it's only natural to wonder why this sudden boom in ticket sales is taking place – is it a plethora of high-quality pictures, a new interest in film, a change in ticket prices, or possibly some new post-pandemic enthusiasm for an accessible social excursion? 

In terms of pictures offered this summer, there was a wide diversity of hits. The highest-grossing films included Spider-Man: A Brand New Day, making $923.5 million; The Odyssey, with $588.9 million; and Toy Story 5, with $478.9 million. Other sensations this summer included the horror movie Obsession and the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada: The Devil Wears Prada 2. The fact that three of the five major pictures were sequels to previous franchises definitely helped sales, along with social media’s role in boosting conversation and spreading awareness through various trends.

The highest performing film, Spider-Man: A Brand New Day, had the most immediate success to date. After its July 31 release, it achieved the highest first-week earnings in cinematic history, grossing $500 million and surpassing Avengers: Endgame. Prominent actors included the same stars audiences have adored since the franchise's renewal in 2017, including recently married Zendaya and Tom Holland. The five-year wait since the last film in the franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Home, also built anticipation, intensifying fans' motivation to return to theaters. The film struck a chord with its viewers. Spider-Man: A Brand New Day explores an unexplored dynamic in which all of Peter Parker’s friends and his girlfriend – everyone he's ever known – have forgotten him. Sofia Wang ‘28 comments on this, saying that because she “relates to people emotionally” on a larger scale, “seeing how much Peter had to go through in the movie” made the watching experience “kind of uncomfortable.” She, overall, though, “liked the ending” and character development. 

The Odyssey, by prominent movie director Christopher Nolan, was released on July 17, 2026. The almost three-hour movie was an immediate sensation with a $263 million worldwide debut. A combination of an incredibly famous cast featuring stars like Matt Damon, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, and Travis Scott, quality cinematography, and its fabled storyline kept The Odyssey from losing momentum. In fact, The Odyssey has become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, surpassing Deadpool & Wolverine, and Joker. 

Christopher Nolan’s decision to shoot entirely on IMAX 15/70mm film cameras was a radical, traditional move that set the movie apart from almost any other modern feature film. This means Nolan rejected green screen and CGI entirely, relying instead on physical adjustments, which boosted the film’s overall technical and cinematic credibility. 

Jin Sun ‘28, a co-head of Cate’s Classics club, enjoyed the film, saying that it was “refreshing.” He particularly enjoyed Nolan’s interpretation of the classic: the soundtrack, the storytelling, and the cinematography. Jin also comments that it was especially nice to see in “relation to films like Spider-Man: A Brand New Day, which was formulaic and just another Marvel film.” Or in other words, it was different from the franchise profit strategy–the recycling of successful media because it's bound to make money again. Jin’s point is easy to see; Spider-Man: A Brand New Day, Toy Story 5, and Devil Wears Prada 2 were all sequels to previous hits. The Devil Wears Prada 2 was released 20 years after the first film. 

By covering just two major successes, we can put into perspective how many moments cinema had this summer. The drastic influx of movie theatre traffic begs us to ask what shifted in how people consume media. And why now? In the years after COVID-19, it seems that some pandemic-era cultural shifts have taken a firm hold on today’s common practice. The dependence on streaming services for movie consumption is evident here. COVID saw a decline in movie theater attendance and a rise in at-home binge culture. Why the spike in ticket sales, now, then? Faculty member and Intro to Film teacher, Mr. Szanyi, points out that there has been an “analog trend” on social media. The term “analog trend” specifically refers to Gen Z and millennials choosing to spend less time on social media. AI saturation, “slop” content, and overall reliance on digital connectivity have created fatigue. To combat this, media consumption has become more intentional. The act of going to a movie, getting popcorn, being surrounded by community, getting to walk out and be left with your own thoughts–it's a fully autonomous experience, devoid of a screen telling you what to think or causing unwarranted distractions. Sofia Wang ‘28 says that she likes the “ambiance,” or more specifically, the “different feeling than watching a movie at home.” She states that going to the theater makes the overall experience “more significant,” and that the movie being watched, hence, “has more meaning.” Mr. Szanyi also theorized that audiences were just “craving original storytelling” in terms of plotlines seen in the horror movie, Obsession, and the innovation of The Odyssey. Mr. Szanyi offers an intriguing and hopeful hypothesis. An appreciation for art and community is a good sign for a society, and we can only hope to see this trend continue into 2027. Was this year an implication of a greater shift in cinematic enthusiasm? Or, dismally, just a one-off statistical success?