A long story, but in the summer of 2007, I guest conducted the world renowned NY Philharmonic at a public performance before an audience of more than 1500 people. I conducted Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance #8 in G Minor.
This AI variation is more fitting for the summer of 2026.
The Domestic Box Office: ticket grosses for all U.S. & Canadian theatres.
Q2 2026: $2.974 billion. That’s the biggest quarter since Q2 2019, and the 5th biggest of the 200 quarters of the past 50 years.
How many times have I heard some idiot say that movie theatres are dead?
The Liberty Bell rang 250 years ago to highlight the Declaration that “We hold these truths to be self-evident.…”
As a Philadelphian, I’ve known that sacred bell. Listen to this beautiful song in tribute to the “Old State House Bell” and our liberty.
https://t.co/UFZf8WL4jc
Happy 250th Birthday to the United States of America.
“The Liberty Bell That Rings Within Us” was written by Leonard M. Levie. It salutes the liberty first proclaimed in 1776, and the expansion of that liberty in the 1800’s, 1900’s and ever since. Here are the lyrics.
Today is the day! Minions & Monsters opens at AMC Theatres. I have seen it. This homage to old Hollywood is nothing less than a masterpiece of animation. Congratulations to Chris Meledandri, Illumination and Universal. https://t.co/2pqZ6iYcjk
There is only one Mel Brooks. He was born one hundred years ago today on June 28, 1926.
A genius raconteur. A man who has made us laugh hysterically for a full century.
He outshines even the brightest lights of comedy.
Happy 100th Birthday, Mel Brooks.
Ending the second quarter on a bang not a wimper, the Domestic Box Office will be up by around 20% versus the same weekend last year.
The quarter should end at $3 billion industrywide, perhaps a hare under or over, clearly the highest q2 industry numbers since 2019.
Cumulatively, January 1 to June 30, the Domestic Box Office will be up about $600 million year over year.
With a strong July ahead of us, that number will grow even more soon.
Hello Minions, Moana, Odyssey and Spider-man.
Halllelujah.
It’s official. Toy Story 5 had the biggest domestic opening weekend gross of any movie so far in 2026, with a media reported $160 million. It’s the 7th different movie in the past three months to have a domestic opening gross above $75 million, which Toy Story 5 far exceeded.
As for AMC, in the U.S., we posted the highest attendance, highest ticket revenues and highest food & beverage revenues of any weekend so far in 2026.
In all, 4.8 million guests visited our theatres globally Thursday to Sunday.
We congratulate our friends at Disney and Pixar, as well as all the film makers behind Toy Story 5, for their delivering a theatrical event that clearly connected with audiences. Toy Story 5 scored a dazzling 94% from critics and 95% from moviegoers on Rotten Tomatoes.
And given our close dealings with Taylor Swift over the past several years, we also want to highlight and salute Taylor’s #1 chart-topping smash hit song, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You,’ which she wrote and performed for TOY STORY 5.
Movie after movie is doing so very well in theatres. With so many major releases coming to theatres across the entire summer, and especially so in July (led by Minions & Monsters, Moana, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day), we have every confidence to expect that our momentum will continue.
The hits have been so numerous and coming so fast and furious this year. I was mistaken yesterday when I said Toy Story 5 would be the 6th different movie to have an opening weekend domestic gross above $75 million. It will be the 7th!
Lucky number 7.
Here’s the list of the movies to open domestically above $75 million this year:
Project Hail Mary
Super Mario Galaxy
Michael
Devil Wears Prada 2
Mandalorian and Grogu
Backrooms
AND after this weekend…
I’ll bet Toy Story 5 joins that hit parade.
Toy Story 5 opens this Friday June 19 (with Thursday June 18 advance screenings) across AMC.
Will it be the biggest grossing movie of 2026 so far?
If it crosses $75 million it will be the 6th film to do so in 2026.
Many think it will top $131.7 million, thus posting the highest opening weekend domestic gross of any film released so far in 2026.
What’s your guess as to how big is big.
What’s your guess as to the opening weekend industrywide domestic gross for Toy Story 5, in millions of dollars.
I simply cannot wait to go to a movie theatre and see the newest creation by master storyteller Steven Spielberg. Everyone knows he is one of the greatest film makers of all time. “Disclosure Day” opens tomorrow at AMC.
AMC said today that we fully completed our $150 million equity raise, announced four months ago. It is particularly encouraging that the AMC share price has risen by more than 50% during this time, showing presumably that investors confidence in a resurgent Box Office outweighs fears about dilution.
This is such good news for AMC Entertainment on all counts.
This greatly bolsters our cash reserves.
I’ve said it many times:
Cash is King.
I was fortunate to be in Los Angeles to see the extraordinary Taylor Swift perform live Tuesday at the World Premiere of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5.
Playing her newest sensation: “I Knew It, I Knew You” which was written for this movie.
Mark my words, Toy Story 5 will be a giant phenomenal smash hit. A truly charming
triumph.
Opens at AMC on June 19.
As it turns out, for Christopher Nolan‘s much awaited The Odyssey, AMC recorded our highest first-day ticket sales for any studio-released movie title since 2022.
My apologies if you encountered a long ticketing line on the AMC web site and app yesterday.
Fortunately, we still have MILLIONS more available seats for you to catch what is sure to be a global phenomenon.
Ironically, the only first-day AMC ticket sales results since 2022 that topped The Odyssey were for our very own music-oriented projects from our own AMC Theatres Distribution, namely first-day ticket sales for the Renaissance concert film from Beyonce in 2023 and our two Taylor Swift efforts in 2023 and again in 2025.
Other than our early sales for the Beyonce and Taylor projects, The Odyssey first-day dollars in hand outpaced those of the many hundreds of studio-released movies of the past four years.
I am so proud to be a Swiftie. Once again, Taylor will delight audiences in our AMC Theatres. With her new original song “I Knew It, I Knew You” in Disney’s Toy Story 5. Opening at AMC on June 19.
Why wait? You can pre-order it right now, only at https://t.co/0Gdj8IrphT
One of AMC’s best associations has been ours with the one and only Taylor Swift. First, 2023’s The Eras Tour movie. Then, 2025’s The Official Release Party of a Showgirl event. And now, Taylor’s fans get her much awaited new original song in Toy Story 5. Opens at AMC on June 19.
Our U.S. AMC Theatres and overseas Odeon Cinemas welcomed 25.5 million guests in May 2026. Our highest attendance for a month of May in 7 years, better than any May since pre-pandemic 2019. Isn’t that just wonderful!
There are huge movies coming out in June and July too.
“Backrooms” just crushed it at the box office this past weekend. It was the 6th movie in the past 10 weeks to have a domestic opening gross above $75 million.
Whoopee, huzzah.
AMC and Odeon theatres attracted more than 5 million guests globally. Biggest domestic weekend of 2026 so far for AMC. The Mandalorian and Grogu was the FIFTH movie to open above $75 million domestically in the last two months.
https://t.co/yoofnYl13M