Without totally demeaning its draw, Timur Bekmambetov's Mercy became the first 2026 title to top the box office last weekend... but it kind of just won by default. The $10.8 million it made wasn't exactly impressive, it's ascendency to the #1 spot domestically was mostly because of fading ticket sales for James Cameron's Avatar: Fire And Ash. Today, however, I can report on a true race for a new film to be declared "the number one movie in America," as Sam Raimi's Send Help has edged out surprise competition from Mark Fischbach's video game adaptation Iron Lung.
It's another notable win for the horror genre, which stacked up a number of them in 2025 and has fans hoping for matching success in the new year. You can check out the full domestic Top 10 in the chart below and join me after for analysis.
