Event Films and International Markets Drive a Selective Theatrical Recovery

Summer 2026's approximately $4.765B was led by Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, Toy Story 5, IMAX, and low-budget horror. Resident Evil opened to roughly $60M domestically and $108.3M worldwide, reinforcing the appeal of recognizable game IP combined with strong reviews and filmmaker-led R-rated horror; Netflix's planned IMAX release for The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth adds another streamer-backed event-film test. Inflation, premium pricing, and concentrated IMAX attendance still mean billion-dollar grosses should not be treated as proof of broad theatrical recovery.