Domestic Box Office Hits $161 Million Weekend, Up 88% on Strong Holdovers and New Releases
Updated
Updated · CNBC · May 12
Domestic Box Office Hits $161 Million Weekend, Up 88% on Strong Holdovers and New Releases
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · May 12
Summary
$161 million in domestic ticket sales made this the strongest second weekend of May in a year, lifting 2026 box office revenue to $3.02 billion, up 16% from the same point in 2025.
Disney's "The Devil Wears Prada 2" led with $41.6 million in its second weekend, ahead of Warner Bros.' "Mortal Kombat II" at $38.5 million and Lionsgate's "Michael" at $37.9 million.
Seven of the top 10 films were holdovers, and five fell less than 50% from the prior weekend — a sign of durable audience demand rather than the usual 50% to 70% slide.
"Project Hail Mary" posted the standout hold, dropping just 23% in its eighth weekend, while "Michael" fell 30%, "The Devil Wears Prada 2" 46% and "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" 45%.
The rebound still trails 2019's $3.8 billion pace, but late-May and summer releases including "The Mandalorian and Grogu," "Toy Story 5" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" could extend momentum.