Highest-grossing summer ever pushes UK-Ireland box office ahead of 2019 thanks to ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, ‘The Odyssey’

The UK-Ireland box office has recorded its highest-grossing summer of all time, with year-to-date takings now up on the last full pre-pandemic year of 2019.

The year-to-date has reached £902.8m, up 0.3% on the £900.4m at the same stage in 2019. It is also up 23% on the same stage in 2025 and up 33% on 2024.

The 18-week summer period from May 1 to September 3 brought in £527.8m, up 7% on the £491.9m from summer 2019.

August was “an exceptionally strong month”, according to data firm Rentrak, which provided the quoted data. Takings were up 67% compared to the same period last year; the month brought in £119.2m, up from the £71.3m in August 2025.

Two July releases, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, contributed 56% of the month’s total box office, dwarfing the leading titles from August 2025 (Weapons and Freakier Friday).

Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day led the month with £41.6m. It held the top spot for five consecutive weekends, the longest such run since Wonka in December 2023. It is now the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time with £94.7m, and still has a good chance of catching 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home (£97.3m) to lead the franchise.

Universal’s The Odyssey took an excellent £25m in August, reaching £81.3m by the end of the month as the 12^th-highest-grossing release in the territory.

The highest-grossing new title was Warner Bros’ sci-fi The End Of Oak Street with £6.5m in the month, having opened to £2.1m in mid-August.

Further new August titles in the top 10 were Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie (Paramount), Insidious: Out Of The Further (Sony), Tony (A24) and The Dog Stars (Disney).

All 10 titles were US productions, with Paw Patrol co-produced with Canada.

Spider-Man and The Odyssey are well ahead on the year to date top 10, with Disney’s Toy Story 5 moving into third place with £57.8m to date. All 10 year to date titles are US films, with Lionsgate’s The Housemaid (£23.5m in 2026) hanging on as the sole 2025 release.

The first weekend of September sees a broad range of genres on offer, with films including The Death Of Robin Hood (True Brit) and re-releases of Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Studiocanal) and The Hunger Games franchise (Lionsgate). Oasis documentary Don’t Look Back In Anger starts from September 9; while later in the month releases include Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom (Studiocanal) in previews on September 12 and 13 then opening on the 18^th. Universal’s Sense And Sensibility starring Daisy Edgar-Jones rounds out the month, alongside Neon’s Cannes title Hope.

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