The NFL season is about to begin, it’s actually raining in Southern California this weekend, and no one has wanted to see a new movie since Spidey came out six-weeks ago, so it must be time for the end of the 2026 Summer Blockbuster Pool!
Let’s take a look at some of the films that made this summer so memorable… or, sadly, the films that are already streaming on Roku and we’re like, “Wait, did that film even ever come out?”
The “I Mean, Really?!” List
- Animal Farm bought the farm.
- Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour was a swing and a mish.
- In The Grey was in the red.
- Is God Is is what counter programming is not.
- I Love Boosters but people like indie films in the fall.
- The Breadwinner was stale from the first trailer.
- Masters of the Universe mastered nothing.
- Stop! That! Train! didn’t stop anyone.
- The Death of Robin Hood wasn’t even the death of Robin Hood movies.
- Jackass: Best and Last was likely neither.
- Evil Dead Burn should’ve used more sunscreen.
- The End of Oak Street ended being good about 30 minutes in… Starbuck!
The “Made About What You’d Expect” List
- Mortal Kombat II
- The Sheep Detectives
- Scary Movie 6
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (In hindsight, it was crazy to think this would be as big as a “real” Star Wars film. It was like an X-Files movie and did way better than an Agatha All Along movie would!)
The “Any Way You Slice It, It’s Still Meatloaf” (shout out, Tim Curry) List
These films expected to be bigger players and they just got played.
- Disclosure Day never got around to actually disclosing anything.
- Supergirl spent half the film without her powers just like this movie did.
- Moana (The Rock’s Version) found how far people’ll go to see live action remakes of movies they don’t want to see… not that far.
- Minions & Monsters has everyone at Universal scared if the Minions no longer print $300 million grosses.
The “Happy Surprise” List
- Coyote Vs. Acme was canned by former nincompoop WB President for a $30 million tax write-off, sold to another company, and now will likely finish with an over $100 million global box-office run. Another long deserved feather in the cap for everyone’s favorite Caninus Nervous Rex.
And with that, because Monday was Labor Day, it’s time to acknowledge and congratulate the actual Top 5 Films of The 2026 Summer Blockbuster Pool!!!
#5. The Devil Wears Prada 2 - $220.6 million
The fan-service film got everyone’s favorites back on the screen together and people flooded the screens for the victory lap.
#4. Obsession - $263.5 million
Maybe this generation’s Halloween or The Exorcist. People were obsessed with Obsession and maybe a precursor to The Odyssey and Brand New Day’s staying power. If folks like a film, they’ll keep coming back.
#3. Toy Story 5 - $480 million
Fans still liked having a friend in the Toy Story series. Over 30 years now of CGI Animated fun and clearly going strong. An amazingly impressive streak.
#2. The Odyssey - $589.1 million
While the quips about The Odyssey being the story of a man who refuses to ask for directions will never get old, it’s still amazing to me that we have a filmmaker that can make any movie an event for critics and the masses. I still have friends who are two weeks out from seeing it the first time because they're waiting for their 70MM Imax showing! That is committing to the bit.
#1. Spider-Man: Brand New Day - $923.2 million
I mean, sure, I expected something over $600 mill and maybe close to No Way Home’s $800 by the end of September, but to do all that and more by Labor Day… that’s just nonsense. So many touches by director Destin Daniel Cretton and his team were the chef’s kisses we needed to make the most beloved super hero movie of the year… and yeah, I’m looking at you, Doomsday! Your Golden Corral buffet way of overstuffing the plate may explain exactly why this less-is-more movie worked.
