We all loved to hate Shane Walsh. He was a big part of the first two seasons of The Walking Dead, and when he finally turned into a walker, audiences couldn't help but cheer. However, it's impossible to deny that he was missed from that point in the series onward, as no one ever managed to take his place. Fortunately, the incredible actor behind the character, Jon Bernthal, continued taking over the big and small screens for years to come.
We've seen Jon suit up as the Punisher and dispense justice on his own. Furthermore, we've also seen him star in no shortage of action films, like The Accountant 2 and Baby Driver. However, he's about to make history in July 2026 by reprising his role as Frank Castle for the first time on the big screen and by being part of one of the biggest fantasy action films ever made.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Home and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey are just around the corner, both incredibly ambitious movies in which Jon Bernthal is set to have a major role. These two projects may be competing with each other due to their release windows, but that hasn't stopped either of them from already making history at the box office.
The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day are already breaking impressive box office records
Jon Bernthal is the man behind many faces, but we'll soon see him as King Menelaus in The Odyssey. Movies directed by Christopher Nolan always have a lot of expectations and excitement behind them, and this time is no different. After all, the Oscar-winning director is set to bring to life one of the most ambitious depictions of Greek mythology ever seen on the big screen. Coupled with an all-star cast that includes Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, and more, it's easy to see why the film is tracking to have an astonishing opening weekend.
The Odyssey holds the record for selling the most tickets for the UK's BFI Imax screen in the span of 24 hours. 28,000 tickets were secured, which amounted to a total gross of $1 million—more than double the previous record held by Dune: Part Two at $490,000. Furthermore, initial forecasts estimate the film will have a domestic opening between $80 million and $100 million, reaching or even surpassing Oppenheimer's $82.4 million opening.
Things won't slow down after The Odyssey's release on July 17, 2026, however. Audiences worldwide will have a date with the friendly neighborhood hero just two weeks later. After disappearing from the public eye for nearly half a decade, the wall-crawler will finally swing onto the big screen again, courtesy of the fourth installment in his Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
While the MCU has seen some underwhelming days at the box office after the releases of Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, things are bound to be wildly different this time around. Spider-Man: Brand New Day broke the record for having the best first day in ticket presales in five years. Furthermore, the film is currently tracking to have a domestic opening above $250 million.
Spidey's last big-screen adventure, No Way Home, ended up grossing $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office without being released in China. Granted, Brand New Day is likely to fall a little behind, even if it will be released in China. However, it's worth pointing out that the upcoming film isn't accompanied by rumors of the long-awaited returns of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men. Still, Brand New Day should be able to surpass the $1 billion mark.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the wall-crawler's upcoming adventure, but one of the biggest ones is that it will feature the debut of Jon Bernthal's Punisher on the big screen. Audiences worldwide have been watching the character slash and kill his way through no shortage of problems in TV shows since 2016, but he hasn't had the chance to join the big leagues until now.
Tom Holland has stated that one of his favorite aspects of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the dynamic between Peter Parker and Frank Castle, two iconic Marvel characters who couldn't be any more different from each other. Trailers have already given us a small taste of what to expect from their relationship, but it will be interesting to see how it really ends up unfolding later this year.
Both The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day are set to make waves at the box office, giving Jon Bernthal one of the biggest months in his career. The best part is that we won't have to wait long to see these two highly anticipated projects.
The Odyssey will be released on July 17, 2026, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day will hit theaters on July 30, 2026.
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