UK and Ireland box office revenue totalled £119.2m for August, up 67% from the previous year, according to the latest figures from Comscore, which characterised the latest figures as “exceptionally strong.”
Year-to-date box office has now reached £902.8m, running at 23% of 2025 and 33% ahead of 2024. It is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that the UK and Ireland box office has also moved ahead of 2019’s pace, which stood at £900.4m at the same point in the year.
The total summer box office was record-breaking in 2026, according to Comscore, with £527.8m across the full 18-week summer period, which runs from 1 May to 3 September. It is the highest-grossing summer on record, surpassing 2019’s prior 18-week benchmark of £491.9m.
The sharp growth in August was driven by Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, which combined to generate £66.6m in August (equivalent to 56% of the month’s total box office).
“It’s not often you get a month like that,” commented Tom Linay, head of film at the UK’s largest cinema ad sales house, Digital Cinema Media (DCM). “This is bigger than Barbenheimer, that’s how big this is.”
According to Linay’s estimates, August cinema admissions also jumped 56% year-on-year, with year-to-date admissions now running 15% ahead of 2025. At DCM cinemas, there were 6.1m admissions in the first week of August alone.
Spider-Man was the top film of the month, grossing £41.6m in August (£94.7m lifetime). The superhero movie has held the top position for five weekends, the longest run at number one since Wonka in December 2023. It is currently the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time in the UK and Ireland.
Linay predicted Spider-Man would “likely end up in the top three” films of all-time, behind only 2012’s Skyfall and 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey added £25m during the month of August to reach an £81.2m lifetime gross. It is the 12th-largest release of all-time in the UK and Ireland, and Nolan’s highest-grossing film in the territory.
August was supported with solid performance by sci-fi fantasy film The End of Oak Street (£6.5m), Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie (£5.8m), Insidious: Out of the Further (£5.7m), Toy Story 5 (£4.5m; £57.8m lifetime); Minions & Monsters (£3.9m; 19.4m lifetime); the live action Moana (£2.9m; £14.3m lifetime); and A24 biopic Tony (£1.7m).
Linay characterised the month as providing “solid numbers from smaller films and incredible numbers from Spider-Man and The Odyssey,” adding: “This is what happens when you give a range of films for various audiences.
“And whilst summer is where the biggest films come out, September is looking good as well.”
September preview: No tentpole, but a diverse slate
Linay expects a “few films to break out in a nice way,” predicting a number of titles will cross into double-digit box office revenue even if there is not likely to be a Spider-Man or Odyssey equivalent released during the month.
Notably, National Cinema Weekend falls this weekend (5th and 6th September), with promotional offers aimed at driving audiences to the cinema.
Later in the month, cult hit Practical Magic debuts a sequel, Practical Magic 2, on 11 September.
For Oasis fans, meanwhile, Disney documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger opens on 9 September.
A mix of options debuts on 18 September, including Zach Cregger’s take on the horror video game Resident Evil, and the family-friendly sequel Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.
Later in the month, Universal’s Sense & Sensibility debuts on 25 September.
There are also a number of re-releases during the month that could attract stronger-than-usual footfall, including Avengers: Endgame (in advance of December’s Avengers: Doomsday), Pixar’s Cars, The Hunger Games and the 25th anniversary of Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
