Tom Holland & Zendaya Set to Break Box Office Record With Summer Blockbusters

As far as blockbuster movies go, the summer of 2026 truly belongs to Tom Holland and Zendaya, the most beloved young Hollywood power couple of their generation. Both actors star in back-to-back blockbusters arriving in theaters this July, which between them make up less than half of Zendaya’s historic run of releases in the calendar year.

Their respective performances in Christopher Nolan’s movie version of The Odyssey happen to coincide with the release of Brand New Day, the fourth installment of the MCU Spider-Man franchise that first brought the two of them together in 2017. The nine years since their first meeting have put Holland and Zendaya on course to break a box-office record this summer.

The screening of Nolan’s Odyssey across an extended period of theatrical exclusivity, which includes IMAX showings globally, gives it every chance of becoming the biggest blockbuster hit of 2026. Meanwhile, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is coming out off previous franchise releases No Way Home and Far From Home grossing over $3 billion between them.

Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man alone, in multiple MCU franchises, has already taken him to the brink of becoming one of the 10 highest-grossing movie actors of all time. Now Holland and his partner Zendaya can achieve even more historic box-office success as a couple.

Tom Holland & Zendaya Are Set To Become The Highest-Grossing Couple In Movie History

It seems as though Zendaya and Tom Holland have got it made. They don’t just love working together, but are enormously successful at it, too. The three Spider-Man movies they’ve starred in together so far have grossed almost $4 billion at the box office. No other acting couple in history has even come close to this figure.

However, if we also take into account every film they’ve each made separately since their first collaboration, Zendaya and Holland have made more than $11.2 billion at the box office. This amount puts them in second place on the all-time list of acting couples in terms of combined box office totals.

Holland’s biggest box-office hits since 2017 have pulled in nearly $6.6 billion even if we exclude the Spider-Man franchise. In addition, Zendaya’s highest-grossing movies without her partner have achieved box-office earnings of around $1.6 billion (figures via MovieWeb).

If The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day do half as well in theaters as is projected, then the pair will become the highest-grossing couple in movie history. Whereas speculation about Tom Holland and Zendaya getting married has dominated the news around them in recent weeks, they’re virtually guaranteed to have something else to celebrate over the summer.

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt Are The Current Box-Office Record-Holders For An Acting Couple

To claim their record, Zendaya and Holland have to get past Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who first got together while filming the forgotten 2000s box-office hit Mr. and Mrs. Smith. That movie alone grossed almost $500 million, which was considered a huge success in 2005.

Of course, Jolie and Pitt’s subsequent relationship developed a profile far bigger than their first onscreen collaboration. They were together for 11 years before separating in 2016, when Jolie filed for divorce. During their time as a couple, the pair’s movies grossed a combined total of around $13 billion at the box office (via The Hollywood Reporter).

This total means that Jolie and Pitt are still some way ahead of Zendaya and Tom Holland in terms of the billions their starring roles raked in when they were together. Yet, the $1.8 billion gap between the couples isn’t anywhere as insurmountable as it sounds in theory.

Given the kind of box office takings we expect for both The Odyssey and Brand New Day, it will likely be the fastest $1.8 billion Holland and Zendaya’s movies have ever made. On the other hand, there will still be plenty of records held by other legendary Hollywood couples left for them to claim.

For example, the pair still have a long way to go until they’ve starred in more movies together than Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward, or Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Both these couples starred on the big screen together at least 11 times.

The Odyssey And Spider-Man: Brand New Day Could Be The Summer’s Biggest Movies

Since Zendaya and Tom Holland’s rise to the top of the pile when it comes to highest-grossing acting couples isn’t really in doubt, perhaps we should turn our attention to which of their summer releases will top the box office charts. It’s worth noting that The Odyssey and Brand New Day aren’t the only surefire megahits being released this summer.

A month before either of them reach theaters, Toy Story 5 comes out, and the latest Despicable Me prequel, Minions & Monsters, follows two weeks later. Then there’s Disney’s live-action version of Moana, starring box-office heavyweight Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

DC Comics have their own major rival for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in the form of Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock and produced by James Gunn. If that isn’t enough competition, then Steven Spielberg is back with his first UFO movie since E.T., Disclosure Day, on June 12, just five weeks before Christopher Nolan’s latest release.

At the same time, it must be that The Odyssey and Brand New Day are the two favorites to top the box office charts for most of July and all of August, not least thanks to the pulling power of Tom Holland and Zendaya together onscreen. Five years on from their last film together, they’ve never been more popular.

What’s more, three of Christopher Nolan’s last eight movies have grossed over $1 billion, and none of them were quite as highly anticipated as The Odyssey. Likewise, the MCU Spider-Man franchise’s record at the box office speaks for itself.

Zendaya’s Historic 2026 Box-Office Run Will Continue With Dune: Part Three

Later in 2026, Zendaya will add to her box office bonanza this year when she stars, leaving even Tom Holland trailing in her wake, when she stars in Dune: Part Three alongside Timothée Chalamet. The previous two installments of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchises are both among the highest-grossing movies of her career, and this one will be no different.

Zendaya’s spectacular 2026 is truly unprecedented, given that she’s also starring in well-reviewed dark romcom The Drama alongside Robert Pattinson, as well as fronting the third and final season of TV’s celebrated teen drama Euphoria. It won’t be at all surprising if she takes a well-deserved break from filming and promotional tours in 2027.

Tom Holland doesn’t have anything in the pipeline for next year just yet, either. Once the couple are done with 2026, it might be time for them to take a moment to enjoy their achievements, particularly in the case of The Odyssey and Brand New Day.

Sources: MovieWeb; The Hollywood Reporter