The Odyssey beats Spider-Man: Brand New Day for global box office top spot

For six consecutive weekends, Spider-Man: Brand New Day held an unbreakable grip on the North American box office. However, in a rare shift of global momentum, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey managed to dethrone the Marvel juggernaut on the worldwide stage during its eighth week of release. While the superhero epic continued to dominate the domestic market, the endurance of Nolan's original odyssey across international territories reclaimed the top global spot.

The result is a statistical irony where two films starring the real-life couple Tom Holland and Zendaya are competing for the same global audience, with each claiming victory in different hemispheres.

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The Global Shift: Territory by Territory

The Odyssey’s return to the top of the global charts was driven by a strong international showing of $32.9M (or $33M, according to Yahoo UK), combined with a $13M domestic haul. This total of $45.96M narrowly beat Spider-Man's global weekend take of $44.1M. The victory was bolstered by a strategic rollout in Japan, where exclusive previews on 62 Imax screens generated $755,000 ahead of the film's wide release on September 11.

The territorial data reveals a fragmented battle. According to Deadline, The Odyssey outperformed Spider-Man in several key markets, including France, Italy, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the Netherlands. In South Korea, the film remains No. 1, recently adding $7.6M to reach an $80M cume, making it Universal's biggest film in that territory.

Conversely, the Marvel blockbuster maintained its lead in the largest markets. Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains dominant in China, the UK, Mexico, Brazil, and India. China stands as the film's most lucrative individual market with $230.8M.

Market	The Odyssey Performance	Spider-Man: Brand New Day Performance
China	$98.4M cume (No. 3 this weekend)	$230.8M (Market Leader)
UK/Ireland	$111.2M - $111.3M cume	$130M (Market Leader)
France	Universal's biggest film ever; ~ $86M cume	$84.8M cume
South Korea	$80M cume (No. 1)	$64.3M cume
Italy	Universal's biggest film ever; $64.1M cume	$43.6M cume

Domestic Dominance and the All-Time Record

While the global crown shifted, the North American story remained unchanged. Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned $18M over the three-day Labor Day weekend, with Sony projecting a total of $23.3M over the four-day holiday. According to Good Morning America, this marks the film's sixth consecutive weekend at No. 1, a milestone shared only by 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water within this decade.

The film reached the $900M domestic mark in 36 days, a pace faster than any previous release. With a current domestic total of $917.8M to $923M (depending on the counting window through Monday), it has climbed to become the third-highest grossing film of all time globally at $2.4B, trailing only Avatar and Avengers: Endgame.

However, the pursuit of the domestic record is where the tension is highest. The film is now closing in on the North American record held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.66M).

The Imax Factor and Universal's Ceiling

The longevity of The Odyssey is inextricably linked to the Imax format. The film has amassed $486M in Imax ticket sales, making it the highest-grossing movie in the history of the large-format exhibitor. In the most recent weekend, Imax contributed $22.2M to the film's global total.

This technical draw has pushed the film's global tally to $1.627B - $1.63B. This performance is particularly significant for Universal, as The Odyssey is currently approaching the $1.67B total of Jurassic World to potentially become the highest-grossing film in the studio's history. Furthermore, by crossing $1 billion internationally, it has become the first Hollywood original film (non-sequel, non-remake) to do so since 2009's Avatar.

The film's stability is evident in its hold rates. In Australia, it saw a mere 8% drop, while the North American market saw a 9% decline during the typically quiet Labor Day window.

Despite these triumphs, the film remains a distant third in the overall global hierarchy, unable to bridge the gap to the multi-billion dollar totals of the top two all-time films.

The immediate focus for Sony now rests on a narrow financial target. Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains just $13.66M away from overtaking Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the highest-grossing movie ever in North America.

Market Penetration and Studio Milestones

The battle for the global top spot has transformed into a study of regional strength. While Spider-Man: Brand New Day maintains a commanding lead in the UK with $130M and Mexico with $89.8M, The Odyssey has carved out a distinct stronghold in Europe and Asia. According to Deadline, the film is now the second-biggest Nolan production in China with a $98.4M cume. In the UK and Ireland, where it has earned between $111.2M and $111.3M, the film is expected to enter the all-time top 10, overtaking Top Gun Maverick and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Universal is leveraging this stability to chase a studio record. The Odyssey currently sits at a global tally of $1.627B to $1.63B, placing it within reach of the $1.67B record held by Jurassic World. This pursuit is supported by exceptional hold rates; in Australia, the film dropped only 8% during the weekend, allowing it to surpass the lifetime earnings of Avengers: Infinity War to become the 11th highest-grossing film of all time in that territory.

The broader industry impact of these two titles is substantial. Good Morning America reports that these blockbusters helped drive the summer movie season to its strongest performance since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the domestic box office totaling $4.6 billion through August 31—a 26.1% increase over 2025.

As the calendar turns toward mid-September, the focus shifts to specific release windows and financial ceilings. For Universal, the next step is the September 11 wide release of The Odyssey in Japan, following the successful 62-screen Imax preview run.