NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Hollywood has just wrapped up its best summer in a decade and its biggest vibe shift since the pandemic.<\/p>\n
After years of new-normal ticket sales and regular spells of unease, the summer box office<\/a> rallied to $4.61 billion in domestic ticket sales between May 1 and Aug. 31, according to Rentrak.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not just miles ahead of last year (a 26.1% increase from 2025), but better than every summer other than 2013. Accounting for inflation and higher ticket prices, it\u2019s less of a record season. Admissions are still way down from pre-pandemic levels. But 2026 was still the summer Hollywood got its mojo back.<\/p>\n While that is partly thanks to some usual suspects \u2014 Spider-Man, \u201cToy Story\u201d and others \u2014 much of what\u2019s driven the resurgence has been refreshingly new. Gen-Z audiences have filled theaters. Low-budget films such as \u201cObsession\u201d<\/a> have turned into blockbusters. But it’s been filmmakers, even more than intellectual property, that have lured moviegoers. Even once-dead movies have come back to life.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing audiences show up for things they really care about, and those might not be the same things we saw a summer or two summers ago,\u201d says Dave Green, director of the previously canned \u201cCoyote vs. Acme.\u201d<\/a> \u201cI\u2019m really encouraged by the resilience of the movie business and that it can bounce back and morph and change all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Such optimism had for years been hard to find in a Hollywood ravaged by the pandemic, wildfires, labor strife, contraction and technological upheaval. There are still seismic changes afoot, including Paramount\u2019s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery<\/a> and the continuing effects of generative AI.<\/p>\n But for the first time in a while, the movie business is running at a high gear, with reason to expect the good times might continue to roll. Fall releases like \u201cAvengers: Doomsday\u201d<\/a> and \u201cDune: Part III\u201d (both due out in December) should add to the momentum, and maybe more record returns.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what fueled Hollywood\u2019s summer comeback:<\/p>\n Filmmakers drive moviegoers<\/p>\n Christopher Nolan’s box-office drawing power has never been more apparent. That he could transform one of the oldest works in literature into a summer blockbuster that will soon hit $1.6 billion is a triumph even for him. It goes to show just how much a studio having the right stable of filmmakers can be a boon to them. Universal Pictures famously scooped up Nolan<\/a> after his acrimonious departure from Warner Bros. over its pandemic detour to streaming.<\/a><\/p>\n Universal is also home to Spielberg, whose \u201cDisclosure Day\u201d ($241.3 million worldwide) made a more minor splash in theaters. But everyone who came to see it came for Spielberg. The same, maybe, could be said for \u201cObsession,\u201d by 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker. Made for less than $1 million, it’s surpassed $500 million worldwide for Focus Features, making it among the most profitable movies ever made.<\/p>\n The seminal moment of the season, and a possible sea change in 21st century Hollywood, was when \u201cObsession\u201d blew past \u201cStar Wars,\u201d a franchise that helped define the summer blockbuster. \u201cStar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu\u201d<\/a> tapped out with a disappointing $345.4 million globally.<\/p>\n It wasn’t the only sign that some of Hollywood’s most dependable franchises don’t necessarily have the same power they once did. The Walt Disney Co.’s latest live-action remake, \u201cMoana\u201d<\/a> ($315.4 million), also stumbled, as did Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ big summer release, \u201cSupergirl\u201d<\/a> ($126.4 million).<\/p>\n Gen-Z audiences are filling theaters<\/p>\n Of course, other long-running franchises are doing just fine. Sony Pictures’ \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day\u201d<\/a> is still atop the box office but it’s already accrued $2.34 billion, making it the second highest grossing film ever, not accounting for inflation.<\/p>\n