‘The End of Oak Street’ Scares Up $2M in U.S. Previews
Weekend Box Office Report: Spider-Man Swings Strong as New Challengers Arrive
What Happened This Weekend at the Movies?
Think of the box office like a giant scoreboard for movies. Every weekend, studios count how many tickets they sold to see who’s winning. This weekend had one huge champion holding the crown and three new movies trying to make a splash.
The Big Winner: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Spider-Man isn’t just winning—he’s making history.
| Stat | Number | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Second Weekend | $205.7M | Bigger than Avengers: Endgame’s second weekend ($186.5M) |
| Total Domestic (US/Canada) | $715.8M | Already one of the biggest superhero movies ever |
| Theaters | 4,487 | Playing almost everywhere |
| Drop from Week 1 | -60% | Normal for huge blockbusters |
IMPORTANT POINT: Even though ticket sales dropped 60% from opening weekend (which is totally normal for giant movies), Spider-Man still made more in its second weekend than most movies make in their entire run.
How Does It Compare to the All-Time Greats?
| Movie | 2nd Weekend | vs. Spider-Man |
|---|---|---|
| Avengers: Endgame | $186.5M | Spider-Man wins |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | $261.1M | Star Wars still higher |
The New Kids on the Block
Three brand-new movies opened this weekend. Here’s how they did on Thursday preview night (the first chance people have to see them):
1. The End of Oak Street (Warner Bros / Bad Robot)
- Thursday Previews: $2.5M (starting at 1 PM in 3,200 theaters)
- Global Total So Far: $6.5M (already open in Italy & France)
- Weekend Prediction: $18M–$23M domestic | $20M–$25M international
- Budget: $80M–$92M (lots of dinosaur special effects!)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 85% Certified Fresh
- Stars: Anne Hathaway & Ewan McGregor
- Director: David Robert Mitchell (It Follows)
- Plot: A suburban neighborhood wakes up next to a prehistoric jungle—with dinosaurs!
How do its previews compare?
- Higher than The Creator ($1.6M previews → $14M opening)
- Same as Mickey 17 ($2.5M previews → $19M opening) [but that was R-rated]
- Similar to Rampage ($2.4M previews in 2018, pre-COVID)
- Lower than Blue Beetle ($3.3M previews → $25M opening in Aug 2023)
IMPORTANT POINT: This movie is "leaning family"—tracking shows women (especially moms and Anne Hathaway fans) are the biggest audience, not just teen boys. That could help it hold well over the weekend.
2. Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie (Paramount / Spin Master)
- Thursday Previews: $1.9M (2,800 theaters)
- Global Total So Far: $35.4M (opened in 30 countries last weekend: France, UK, Germany…)
- Weekend Prediction: Mid-to-high teens ($15M–$19M)
- Previous Movie (Mighty Movie, 2023): No Thursday previews, but opened to $22.7M weekend
3. The Brink of War (Angel Studios)
- Theaters: 2,083
- Preview numbers not yet reported
This Weekend’s Top 5 Scoreboard
| Rank | Movie | Studio | Theaters | This Weekend | Total Domestic | Week # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Sony | 4,487 | $205.7M (-60%) | $715.8M | 2 |
| 2 | The Odyssey | Universal | 3,603 | $51.7M (-39%) | $481.4M | 4 |
| 3 | One Night Only | Universal | 3,012 | $7.8M | $7.8M | 1 (NEW) |
| 4 | Toy Story 5 | Disney | 2,660 | $6.7M (-39%) | $473.1M | 8 |
| 5 | Minions & Monsters | Universal | 2,451 | $5.77M (-43%) | $178.6M | 6 |
IMPORTANT POINT: Universal is having a huge month—they have three movies in the top 5 (The Odyssey, One Night Only, Minions & Monsters)!
The "Back to School" Factor
Only 51% of K-12 schools are off this week — lots of kids are already back in class.
But 95% of colleges are still out — so young adults can go to movies.
This means:
- Family movies (Paw Patrol, Oak Street) might see bigger drops on weekdays
- Adult/teen movies (Spider-Man, The Odyssey) could hold better on weeknights
Global Rollout: The End of Oak Street
This weekend, Oak Street opens in 74 territories on 24,000 screens, including:
- France
- Germany
- Australia
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Spain
- UK
- China
- Japan
Global outlook: $38M–$48M worldwide (with international likely bigger than domestic).
What to Watch For This Weekend
- Can Oak Street hit $20M+ domestic? That would match Mickey 17 and beat The Creator.
- Will Paw Patrol beat Mighty Movie’s $22.7M opening? No Thursday previews makes it tricky to predict.
- How fast does Spider-Man race to $800M domestic? It only needs ~$85M more.
- Does One Night Only have legs? $7.8M opening is modest—word of mouth will decide Week 2.
Summary
| Movie | Status | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Dominating | 2nd weekend bigger than Endgame; $715M+ total |
| The End of Oak Street | New contender | $2.5M previews; family-friendly appeal; needs $20M+ to win |
| Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie | Family option | $1.9M previews; $35M global already; targeting teens |
| The Odyssey | Strong hold | Only -39% drop in Week 4; $481M total |
| One Night Only | Modest start | $7.8M opening; needs word-of-mouth boost |
Bottom line: Spider-Man is the undisputed king right now. The real battle is for #2 between The Odyssey (holdover) and The End of Oak Street (newcomer). Family audiences have two new choices—dinos in suburbia (Oak Street) or dinos with puppies (Paw Patrol).
FAQ: Your Box Office Questions Answered
1. What are "Thursday previews" and why do they matter?
Thursday previews are early showtimes (often starting 1–5 PM) the night before a movie officially opens. They’re like a sneak peek for super-fans. Studios use them to predict the full weekend—strong previews usually mean a strong opening.
2. What does "domestic" vs. "international" vs. "worldwide" mean?
- Domestic = US + Canada
- International = Everywhere else
- Worldwide (WW) = Domestic + International combined
3. Why did Spider-Man drop 60% in its second weekend? Is that bad?
Not at all! A 50–65% drop is normal for huge blockbusters. Everyone who had to see it opening week already went. The fact that it still made $205M in Week 2 shows incredible staying power.
4. What’s a "Certified Fresh" Rotten Tomatoes score?
Rotten Tomatoes aggregates critic reviews. 85% Certified Fresh means 85% of critics gave it a positive review, and it meets their minimum review count. It’s a "critics like it" badge—not a guarantee audiences will agree, but helpful marketing!
5. Why does the "back to school" schedule affect box office?
Kids = ticket buyers. If schools are in session:
- Families can’t go on weeknights
- Weekends get more crowded (everyone goes Sat/Sun)
- Monday–Thursday drops are steeper
Since only half of K-12 schools are off, family movies may see big weekday drops but solid weekends.
Data sourced from Deadline Hollywood box office reporting. All figures estimated until studio finalizes on Monday.