By Janet H. Cho

"This is shaping up to be one of the best summer movie seasons of all time and certainly since the pandemic," says Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore's head of marketplace trends. It could beat summer 2023, when Barbie and Oppenheimer drove summer box-office sales to over $4 billion.

This past weekend's $172.5 million in total domestic box office was 18% higher than the same stretch in 2025, bringing year-to-date sales to $2.79 billion, up 14% from this point in 2025, says Comscore.

The season began this past weekend as moviegoers flocked to see Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway reprise their roles as a fashion magazine diva and her former assistant in Walt Disney's The Devil Wears Prada 2. The sequel to the 2006 hit topped the domestic box office with some $77 million through Sunday, says Comscore. Dergarabedian says the film overperformed internationally, raking in another $157 million.

The industry is also benefiting from the Michael Jackson movie Michael, which after its second weekend brought in some $200 million domestically and $441 million worldwide. Nintendo's The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Amazon MGM Studios' space epic Project Hail Mary are also faring well. Up next: Warner Bros.' Mortal Kombat II.

The 18 weeks from May through Labor Day account on average for 40% of domestic box-office sales, "so it's vitally important to the industry," said Dergarabedian.

Write to Janet H. Cho at janet.cho@dowjones.com

Last Week

Markets

The week began with Iran warning it would attack U.S. Navy vessels if they tried to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran fired at ships in the strait and at the United Arab Emirates. Oil prices rose and stocks were mixed. On Tuesday, President Trump backed off the escort plan, saying that negotiations were on again. Oil fell. Stocks rallied as indexes set new highs on peace hopes, but clashes continued. April U.S. jobs grew by a better-than-expected 115,000. On the week, the Dow industrials rose 0.2%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite set new highs, up 2.3% and 4.5%, respectively.

Companies

Trump raised European car tariffs from 15% to 25%, and a U.S. trade court blocked his 10% global tariffs. Berkshire Hathaway's cash pile hit a record $397 billion in the quarter as CEO Greg Abel took over from Warren Buffett; Berkshire also named General Re Chairman Charlie Shamieh to replace retiring insurance chief Ajit Jain. Elon Musk agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit that he failed to disclose his Twitter stake in 2022. Walt Disney's new CEO Josh D'Amaro outlined his plans in a 3,000-word shareholder letter. Nvidia made a $500 million investment in Corning to boost fiberoptic growth. Arm Holdings said demand for its chips was outstripping supply. Samsung Electronics joined the $1 trillion market-cap club. It's getting crowded.

Deals

GameStop made a $56 billion cash and stock offer for eBay.

This Week

Monday 5/11

Nearly 90% of S&P 500 index companies have reported first-quarter results so far, with more than 85% beating earnings-per-share estimates, and 80% surpassing sales expectations. This goes a long way to explaining why stocks are at record highs, despite elevated oil prices and an uncertain path to ending the war with Iran. This week, Constellation Energy releases earnings on Monday, followed by Cisco Systems on Wednesday and Applied Materials on Thursday.

Tuesday 5/12

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the consumer price index for April. Consensus estimate is for a 3.7% year-over-year increase, four-tenths of a percentage point more than in March. The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is expected to rise 2.7%, compared with 2.6% previously. If estimates prove correct, the headline CPI would be the highest annual rate of change since September 2023.

Thursday 5/14

The Census Bureau reports retail and food services sales for April. Economists forecast a 0.6% month-over-month rise, after a 1.7% jump in March. Excluding autos and gas, retail sales are seen increasing 0.4%, two-tenths of a percentage point less than previously.

The Numbers

$5 B

Rise in commodity costs the big Detroit auto makers say they will face if the Iran war lasts two more months.

90%

Increase in some aluminum prices in the past year from tariffs, higher delivery costs, and the Iran war.

15%

Percentage in a Harvard poll of those ages 16 to 29 who say they trust the federal government, a record low.

$4 B

Forecast of the combined free cash of Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms in the 3Q.

Write to Robert Teitelman at bob.teitelman@dowjones.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 08, 2026 19:14 ET (23:14 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.