AMC Theaters Post Strongest May Turnout Since 2019
The summer blockbuster season is nearly here, but one of the world's biggest theater chains is already reporting high turnout from some of 2026's most anticipated films during the month of May.
On Monday, AMC Theaters announced that 25.5 million moviegoers attended their facilities in May, including more than 4.2 million in the past weekend alone. It's the highest-attended month of May at AMC since 2019, and the company is crediting several major releases for the positive turnout.
"The most recent weekend attendance continues a trend seen throughout much of 2026, with domestic box office results consistently meeting, and repeatedly exceeding, expectations," the company said in a statement.
Films like "The Mandalorian and Grogu," "The Devil Wears Prada 2," "Michael," "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" and "Project Hail Mary" have all opened to more than $75 million at the domestic box office, giving the theater chain a steady flow of fan-favorite films.
Unique Films Bring Moviegoers to the Cinema
Horror has been a major boost for AMC in recent weeks, with the relatively low-budget "Obsession" exceeding all expectations at the box office. Curry Barker's film has increased its domestic gross over multiple weeks with strong word of mouth and positive reception, making its meager budget back several times over.
"Backrooms," another horror film helmed by a young director in Kane Parsons, debuted to more than $81 million at the domestic box office. The strong return gives A24 its biggest opening weekend as a distributor, and it gives AMC another successful film to anchor the end of a positive month for theaters.
"Week after week in 2026, it's been clear that as Hollywood has been releasing well-made and well-marketed movies, moviegoers have been pouring out in droves to enjoy the incomparable magic of the big screen experience that we offer in our theatres," said AMC chairman and CEO Adam Aron.
"The results that AMC saw in May were particularly encouraging...This current measure of success, combined with the many compelling movies coming to our screens in the weeks and months ahead, gives us great confidence as we look to the rest of 2026."
2026's Biggest Box-Office Hits
The best could be yet to come for AMC, with several major blockbusters set to release during the summer. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," "Toy Story 5," "Scary Movie" and "Supergirl" are just some of the movies set to come out over the next few weeks, and they'll likely continue to influence the positive box-office trend.
"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" is this year's highest-grossing film, both domestically and worldwide. The film has made nearly $1 billion at the box office around the world, trailed by the music biopic "Michael" and novel adaptation "Project Hail Mary." A direct sequel is reportedly in development, and Nintendo has also marked an "untitled Illumination/Nintendo event film" for release in 2028.
We'll see if another movie can take the box office crown from "Super Mario Galaxy," and if AMC's strong turnout at theaters around the country will continue.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 11:41 AM.