U.S. box office near $8 billion: ‘Verity’ pushes the 2026 total to $7.95 billion, about 19% above last year

U.S. cinemas are just one step away from the symbolic $8 billion mark for 2026. According to Rentrak figures reported by Barron’s, total revenue for the year reached about $7.949 billion through Sunday, 4 October — 19.4% more than the $6.654 billion at the same point last year.

Only about $50.8 million is needed to break the mark, and Rentrak analyst Paul Dergarabedian says studios and cinema operators are expected to reach that figure around 9 October, depending on sales during the week. Of the first 40 weekends of the year, fully 27 — or 67.5% — have cleared the $100 million threshold, a sign of a sustained revival in cinema-going.

The main push on the weekend of 2–4 October came from Amazon MGM Studios’ “Verity”: the psychological thriller with Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett debuted in first place with $32.6 million in North America and $62.5 million worldwide, exceeding industry forecasts, as ComingSoon reports. The adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel ranks as the second-best global opening among films based on her books, after “It Ends With Us” ($95.6 million).

The weekend brought in about $99 million in total in North America — 21% less than the previous weekend, but 14.8% more than the same weekend last year. In second place was Sony’s “Resident Evil” with $12.5 million in its third week, followed by Paramount’s “Heart of the Beast” with $11 million, while A24’s “Primetime” and Tom Cruise’s “Digger” tied at about $8 million each.

September contributed $601.9 million (+1.3% year on year), and 2026 has already broken the summer record with $4.765 billion. With DC Studios’ “Clayface” debuting at the end of October and the year-end premieres ahead, the industry is looking at its strongest cinema year since the pre-pandemic era.