Spider-Man: Brand New Day has dominated the box office since it opened in late July, and lack of competition has been one of the reasons why. After shattering records in its opening weekend, Brand New Day has retained the No. 1 position on the weekend chart for four consecutive weekends, becoming the first Marvel movie in four years to accomplish that feat. Not only is that a sign of Brand New Day‘s prowess, it’s also an illustration of how quiet new releases have been this August. Unlike last year, when Weapons became a breakout hit, there isn’t anything making a sizable splash this year. That’s set to continue this weekend, meaning Brand New Day will pull off another impressive feat.
According to Deadline, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is projected to gross around $18 million domestically in its fifth weekend, which would be enough to hold on to the top spot. The last film to lead the weekend for five straight weekends was Avatar: Fire and Ash, which had a streak running from its debut last December to Martin Luther King weekend this January.
Once again, none of the new releases are expected to pose much of a challenge for Spider-Man. Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars (which has earned mixed reviews) is projected to earn between $10-14 million, while Coyote vs. Acme is expected to gross about $15 million.
When Will Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s Weekend Streak End?
Assuming these projections hold and nothing exceeds the estimates, Brand New Day will be the No. 1 film heading into September. There’s a good chance it will keep its streak going for at least one more weekend. Next weekend doesn’t really have any high-profile new releases, which is fairly typical for Labor Day. Traditionally, that isn’t a busy time at the box office; last year, the 50th anniversary re-release of Jaws beat two new releases over the holiday frame, so this isn’t the time of year where many people make plans to go to the movies. Barring something unforeseen, Brand New Day will be able to feast on weak competition again.
The weekend of September 11-13 is more interesting. That’s when Practical Magic 2, sequel to the ’90s cult classic, opens. Practical Magic wasn’t the biggest hit in its day ($46.7 million domestically), but it’s gained a following in the years since and could be a decent draw. Nobody is expecting Practical Magic 2 to break records of its own, but it might be able to make enough to knock Spider-Man off its perch. Business for Marvel’s latest is starting to slow down; after making $39 million last weekend, Brand New Day is less than half of that this weekend. It’ll be projected to gross less than $18 million in its seventh weekend, so its reign could end then. It’ll depend on how much demand there is for Practical Magic 2.
If Brand New Day is able to beat Practical Magic 2, then its consecutive weekends streak will probably come to an end in the middle of September, when Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil opens. Cregger is riding high after the success of Weapons last year, which further cemented him as one of the premier horror directors of this era. He seems to have an exciting and unique vision for one of the most popular gaming franchises of all time, so Resident Evil could be another breakout hit for the filmmaker. It’s drawn comparisons to Mad Max: Fury Road with regard to its relentless pace, and if the critical reception is anywhere close to that action classic, casual audiences and horror fans alike will take great interest in Resident Evil.
The all-time record for most consecutive weekends at No. 1 domestically is Titanic, which held on to the top spot for a remarkable 15 weekends in a row. Odds are, Brand New Day won’t come close to that, but that won’t take anything away from what the film has accomplished throughout its run. It’s very rare these days for a movie to be No. 1 for five straight weekends. Even Avengers: Endgame dropped to second in its fourth frame.