When Star Wars premiered in 1977, no one had any inkling as to how successful the multi-billion-dollar franchise would become, but the subsequent prequels, toys, and video games cemented the franchise’s position as a cultural juggernaut. In 2012, when George Lucas sold his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney, it birthed a new Star Wars era with the next sequel trilogy, starting with The Force Awakens (2015).
Introducing audiences to Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and Poe (Oscar Isaac), the revival — one of the most anticipated movies of all time — performed incredibly well at the box office, earning it the top spot for the highest-grossing domestic release over the past decade with $936 million. However, a new challenger has since taken the throne.
The latest addition to the Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, has repeatedly dominated the box office and has since raked in $936.773 million, 47 days after its North American release (via Variety). Not only that, but Brand New Day is now king of the domestic box office, officially dethroning The Force Awakens’ staggering $936.6 million.
|
Rank |
Name (Year) |
Domestic Gross |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) |
$936.773M |
|
2 |
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) |
$936.662M |
|
3 |
Avengers: Endgame (2019) |
$858.373M |
|
4 |
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) |
$814.866M |
|
5 |
Avatar (2009) |
$785.221M |
Sharing a congratulatory card on its Instagram, Lucasfilm’s caption read: “Impressive. Most Impressive. From a galaxy far, far away, everyone at Lucasfilm sends massive congratulations to Destin, Tom, everyone at Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios and the entire team behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day on setting a new domestic box office record and taking the crown from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Brand New Day also became the third highest-grossing movie of all time at the worldwide box office, bumping James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) down a peg. This hasn’t been the year for Star Wars when it comes to huge box office numbers. The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) had a disappointing showing following its release, despite topping its opening weekend. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie only grossed $177 million domestically and $345 million worldwide. Compared with other Star Wars movies, it didn’t even make the top 10, with the franchise’s most successful movies being The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
|
Rank |
Name (Year) |
Worldwide Gross |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Avatar (2009) |
$2.924B |
|
2 |
Avengers: Endgame (2019) |
$2.799B |
|
3 |
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) |
$2.453B |
|
4 |
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) |
$2.334B |
|
5 |
Ne Zha 2 |
$2.270B |
That being said, Brand New Day’s success was also a much-needed victory for Marvel, as last year saw a dismal turnout for Captain America: A Brave New World and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, hot on the heels of Brand New Day comes the anticipation for Avengers: Doomsday. Audiences are already locked in for the next Avengers installment, as over 70% of ticket pre-sales have gone towards Infinity Vision — Disney’s premium screening format — meaning that the movie has already crossed the $50 million line three months before its re-release on Dec. 18.
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