Movies are back kicking as theaters reclaim the buzz
In 2026, movies are back kicking TV out of the cultural driver's seat. The New York Post reports the U.S. box office is on track to hit $10 billion for the first time since 2019, while peak TV has faded into background noise. Hits from "The Odyssey" to indie horror "Obsession" have reclaimed the conversation.
Key Takeaways
- Hollywood's big-screen rebound has younger audiences packing multiplexes again, per the New York Post.
- Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" opened to $346 million in its first week—54% ahead of "Oppenheimer" at the same point.
- Low-budget horror "Obsession" has grossed about $443 million on a $750,000 budget, keeping watercooler talk centered on theaters.
- Streaming-era bets that audiences would never leave the couch now look like a costly misread as TV's cultural heat cools.
- Fall and winter tentpoles—including "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," "Dune: Part Three," and "Avengers: Doomsday"—are lined up next.
Why are movies back kicking TV right now?
Halfway through summer 2026, the New York Post argues a once-unthinkable shift is already here: the movies have returned to cultural dominance while TV's relevance has hit rock bottom. For years, prestige series from "The Sopranos" to "Game of Thrones" convinced viewers that living-room screens had beaten the cinema.
After COVID closed theaters, Disney, Apple, and Warner Bros. leaned hard into streaming, betting audiences would stay on the couch. That wager, the Post writes, has turned into a hugely expensive unforced error. Underestimated younger generations are mobbing the multiplex instead.
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Which 2026 films are fueling the comeback?
Christopher Nolan's Matt Damon mythology epic "The Odyssey" is the clear buzz leader, with a staggering $346 million in its first week. But the rebound is broader than one blockbuster. The Post points to a steady mix of dramas, comedies, biopics, animation, originals, and IP.
"Obsession," starring Inde Navarrette and directed by a 26-year-old, has become the must-see indie—grossing $443 million from a $750,000 budget. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson's "The Drama" ($132 million) sparked talk over its twist. Critic-scorned biopic "Michael" still sold $1 billion in tickets, the most ever for that genre.
Other winners include Emerald Fennell's "Wuthering Heights" ($241 million), space phenom "Project Hail Mary" ($683 million), and A24's Gen Z hit "Backrooms" ($387 million). Creative, conversation-starting movies are making money again.
Has peak TV really lost the plot?
By contrast, the Post asks what on network, cable, or streaming is making waves—and answers: practically nothing. Peak TV feels like a hazy memory; most inventory plays as background noise. Relative successes such as CBS's "Tracker," Taylor Sheridan's "Dutton Ranch," "The Pitt," and Ryan Murphy's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette" have not broken into wider consciousness the way movies have.
"House of the Dragon" still posts strong HBO numbers, but nowhere near late-era "Game of Thrones," and it is hardly a talker. One of the year's hottest series, Canada's "Heated Rivalry," missed Emmy nominations because no American company was involved. Unscripted TV has also shrunk: Luminate data cited by the Post show reality inventory down by a third since 2022 and still falling.
Celebrity panels at San Diego Comic-Con 2026—including Johnny Depp, Keke Palmer, and Adria Arjona—still blur film and TV promotion, but the cultural center of gravity the Post describes is back at the multiplex. Full analysis is in the New York Post.
What is still ahead at the movies?
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" arrives next weekend with a guaranteed $1 billion-plus gross, according to the Post. "Dune: Part Three" and "Avengers: Doomsday" share a December date, while fall brings films from Alejandro Iñárritu, Martin McDonagh, and Zach Cregger, plus DC's psychological horror "Clayface."
Five years after Nicole Kidman's viral AMC ad promised "magic" at the theater, the Post's verdict is blunt: she was right. Movies are back kicking—and TV is mainly where we go for news and sports.