Spider-Man Eyes $143M, The Odyssey Hits $1B, and Bautista Takes on Kratos
Spider-Man chases another box-office record, The Odyssey crosses $1 billion worldwide, and the week brings streaming highs, franchise casting, awards rules, celebrity candor, and two major industry deals.
The Aug. 3-9 week gave Hollywood two giant box-office milestones, a streaming chart catch-up, a fresh Kratos, and a surprisingly busy round of dealmaking. Weekend grosses are Saturday estimates where noted; the streaming figures cover July 6-12 and were updated by Nielsen data publisher The Hollywood Reporter on Aug. 7.
At the movies
1. Spider-Man is still swinging at record speed
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was tracking to $143 million in its second domestic weekend, which would make it the third-biggest sophomore frame ever behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($149.2 million) and Avengers: Endgame ($147.3 million). Deadline projected a $653 million 10-day total, enough to put the Sony-Marvel sequel ahead of Endgame's $621.2 million pace at the same point; final weekend actuals were still pending in the report.
2. The Odyssey crosses the billion-dollar line
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey passed $1 billion worldwide, split between $429.7 million domestic and $570.3 million overseas. It is now within striking distance of The Dark Knight Rises' $1.085 billion total, which would make it Nolan's biggest movie ever; the film is also Universal's third billion-dollar release of 2026.
3. One Night Only opens quietly in Spidey's shadow
The Will Gluck rom-com One Night Only, starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro, was tracking to a $6 million opening from 3,012 theaters, including $1.35 million in previews. Its audience score stood at 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, below Anyone But You's 87%, and Deadline reported that women made up 74% of the early audience.
Streaming and franchise moves
4. Love Island USA sets another streaming high
The Love Island USA season-eight finale week pulled 1.997 billion viewing minutes on Peacock in Nielsen's U.S. TV-set measurement for July 6-12, its best week yet. It topped the overall chart for the fourth time in six weeks of new episodes, while the season had reached 10.73 billion minutes — about 23% above the previous season.
5. Dave Bautista is Amazon's new Kratos contender
Dave Bautista is in negotiations to replace Ryan Hurst as Kratos in Amazon MGM and Sony's God of War series after Hurst suffered a bicep injury during a stunt. Production paused, with prep expected in mid-August and filming targeted for mid-October in Vancouver; the show still has a two-season order.
6. Jaafar Jackson follows Michael with Supermax
Jaafar Jackson, who played his uncle Michael Jackson in Lionsgate's billion-dollar biopic, has joined Amazon MGM and Miramax's action thriller Supermax opposite Will Smith and AnnaSophia Robb. His role is secret, but the film centers on two FBI agents investigating an impossible murder inside a maximum-security prison, with Prime Video lining up distribution in more than 240 territories.
7. The next X-Men casting rumor gets messier
Sadie Sink says Marvel is keeping her a little separate from the casting process for Cyclops in Jake Schreier's upcoming X-Men movie. Kit Connor has reportedly read for Scott Summers, but Sink said she is learning about the process through Schreier and still does not know what is official; Samara Weaving remains linked to Emma Frost after earlier reports.
Awards, deals, and Hollywood's people
8. BAFTA adds an AI question to the TV awards
New BAFTA TV Awards rules say entries using generative AI or other digital tools may face a request for details about the technology and the amount of human creative involvement. The changes also make HBO Max a qualifying broadcaster in the U.K.; the 2027 ceremony is set for May 9, with nominations due March 22.
9. Disney puts a $1.2 billion price on A+E
Hearst has announced an agreement to buy Disney's 50% stake in A+E Global Media for approximately $1.2 billion in cash, turning the cable company into a wholly owned Hearst business. The transaction is expected to close in September, so this is a signed deal rather than a completed handover — a notable retreat by Disney from the A&E, History, and Lifetime portfolio.
10. Nielsen wants a bigger role in streaming measurement
Nielsen plans to buy ad-tech firm DoubleVerify for $2.15 billion in cash, or $13.60 per share, with the deal expected to close in the first quarter of 2027 pending approvals. The logic is straightforward: Nielsen wants stronger tools for tracking audiences and ad performance as viewing keeps moving from linear TV to streaming.
11. Samantha Morton says the work has slowed sharply
Samantha Morton said she had not worked for a year after filming The Odyssey, despite having agents and a manager, and blamed a film industry whose politics have changed as she approaches 50. The actor also revisited being replaced by Scarlett Johansson as the voice of Samantha in Her, calling the experience painful while still praising Johansson's performance.
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