Warner Bros.' "The End of Oak Street," a 1980s-inflected sci-fi thriller from director David Robert Mitchell and producer J.J. Abrams, opened to an estimated $21 million domestically over the Aug. 14-16 weekend, adding $26 million overseas for a $47 million worldwide debut. It landed in second place, unable to unseat Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which held the top spot for a third consecutive weekend with roughly $70 million domestic and $188.7 million worldwide, according to Variety's box-office report.
The film stars Anne Hathaway as Denise Platt, an unhappily married novelist, and Ewan McGregor as her pizza-delivery husband, after a cosmic event transplants their suburban cul-de-sac into a dinosaur-infested jungle overnight. Produced on a reported budget of roughly $80 million before marketing costs, the opening ranks as the fourth-largest domestic debut by a wholly original film in 2026, trailing "Hoppers," "Disclosure Day" and "GOAT" but ahead of "Send Help" and "Obsession."
Because studios typically need a film to gross roughly twice its production budget once marketing and distribution costs are included, "The End of Oak Street" likely needs to approach $200 million worldwide to break even — a steep climb from its opening pace, even with international audiences delivering slightly more than the domestic haul.
Mixed reviews, heavy on nostalgia
Critics were divided but largely charmed. The Hollywood Reporter described it as "ersatz '80s Amblin nostalgia" that's "fun as far as high-end trash goes," and several reviewers flagged its heavy debts to "E.T.," "Poltergeist" and "Jurassic Park." Few called it a must-see, but many described it as a serviceable end-of-summer diversion.
Elsewhere in the top five, Universal's "The Odyssey" added $23.2 million in its fifth weekend for a $121.4 million worldwide total, and Paramount's "PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie" held with $20.5 million in its second week. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" has now grossed roughly $785.8 million domestically and $2.02 billion worldwide since opening three weeks ago, according to a weekend box-office recap.
"The End of Oak Street" will now lean on word-of-mouth and a planned premium-video-on-demand release to help recoup its budget, echoing a strategy Warner Bros. has used on other mid-budget originals this year. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is expected to keep the top spot into Labor Day weekend as the late-summer release calendar thins out.
