Blockbuster Battle! 'Spider-Man' Continues Reign as 'The Dog Stars' Tanks
The latest box office weekend saw Ridley Scott's "The Dog Stars" disappoint with a dismal opening, contributing to Disney's mixed summer. In contrast, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" continued its historic run, nearing major domestic box office records, while "Coyote vs. Acme" and "The Odyssey" also performed strongly.
The latest weekend at the box office saw a mix of highs and lows, with Disney and 20th Century's post-apocalyptic thriller “The Dog Stars” becoming a significant theatrical misfire, while Sony and Marvel's “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” continued its record-breaking run. “The Dog Stars,” starring Jacob Elordi, opened to a disappointing $8 million domestically from 3,330 locations, landing in fifth place. Produced for over $80 million, the film garnered poor critical and audience reception, earning a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and a “C+” from CinemaScore polls, indicating substantial financial losses are expected.
This poor performance marks another misstep for director Ridley Scott, recalling his 2021 film “The Last Duel,” which also underperformed despite better critical reviews. Scott, renowned for blockbusters like “Gladiator” and “Alien,” experienced his peak box office success with “The Martian” in 2015, which grossed $630 million worldwide. For Disney, “The Dog Stars” concludes an uneven summer, which included major hits like “Toy Story 5” ($1.12 billion) and “The Devil Wears Prada 2” ($692 million), but also other misfires such as the live-action “Moana” ($308 million) and “The Mandalorian and Grogu” ($345 million). Despite these mixed results, Disney is poised for a major comeback with “Avengers: Doomsday” slated for December.
Meanwhile, “Coyote vs. Acme,” a live-action-animation hybrid, debuted in third place, grossing an estimated $13.5 million domestically from 3,575 screens. The film faced initial distribution challenges, having been abandoned by Warner Bros. for tax credits before being rescued by Ketchup Entertainment in March 2025 for a theatrical release. Directed by Dave Green and featuring Will Forte, Lana Condor, and John Cena, the movie follows Wile E. Coyote's legal battle against the Acme Corporation.
Dominating the box office once again was “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which secured the No. 1 spot with $22.2 million through Sunday, bringing its domestic total to a staggering $891 million. The superhero epic is on the verge of two historic milestones: surpassing 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to become the highest-grossing movie of all time at the domestic box office, and subsequently becoming the first film ever to hit $1 billion in North America alone.
Other strong performers included Universal’s “The Odyssey,” which continued to impress in its seventh weekend, taking second place with $14.6 million, pushing Chris Nolan’s blockbuster to a North American haul of $564 million. Sony’s “Insidious: Out of the Further” secured fourth place with $10.1 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic revenues to $43 million—a strong start given its $18 million production budget.