With all the exciting movies that screened this summer, we wanted to look at how one in particular, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, may have influenced Canadian readers. In the wake of all the excitement and box office records for the movie, we wondered about the sales and loans of superhero books so we gathered data from the three weeks before and three weeks after the movie’s theatrical release on July 31, 2026 and compared it to the same time period last year. We also pulled the top three bestselling and most borrowed titles with a Superheroes BISAC category for this timeframe.
Comics & Graphic Novels / Superheroes
This category saw the steepest increase in sales over the seven week time period in 2026 (from three weeks before the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and three weeks after). Between week one and seven, this category saw a 38% increase. During the third week following the week of release, sales were at its highest, increasing by 26% compared to the previous week.
When comparing year-over-year, sales were up in 2026 over 2025 across the board, but they were up by a staggering 50% in week seven.
Similarly, over the seven week period in 2026, loans increased by 21%. They increased the most between week five and six, going up by 25%. Year-over-year, loans were up the most during the week of release, increasing by 26%.
Juvenile Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / Superheroes
Over the seven week period in 2026, sales for this category decreased by 24%. After the week of release, sales went down for a week before picking back up in week seven, increasing by 30% when compared to the previous week.
When comparing year-over-year, sales started out with an increase of 82% during the first week, three weeks before the movie was released, and ended on an upward trend during the last week, with an increase of 26%.
As for loans, over the seven week period in 2026 they increased by 6%. Loans for these titles increased the most between week two and three leading up to the week of release, going up by 9%. While year-over-year loans went up by the most during the seventh week, increasing by 63%.
Juvenile Fiction / Superheroes
This category increased by 21% over the seven week period. During the week of release, sales went up by 38% during the when compared to the previous week.
However, year-over-year, sales were generally down compared with 2025, though they did go up by 7% during week five, and a slight rise of 3% in week seven.
For loans, over the seven week period, overall they decreased by 3%. Loans for these titles increased the most between week five and six, going up by 13%. While year-over-year loans went up by the most during the week of release, increasing by 24%.
Reading Superheroes
Top sold
- Spider-Man: Mighty Mayhem! by Mike Maihack
- Avengers: Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman, Esad Ribic, and Kevin Feige
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day by Zeb Wells, Mark Waid, Dan Slott, Chris Bachalo, and Mike McKone
Top borrowed
- Spider-Man: Animals Assemble! by Mike Maihack
- Spider-Man: Cosmic Chaos! by Mike Maihack
- Spider-Man: Quantum Quest! by Mike Maihack
Curious for more data on book sales and loans? Keep your eyes peeled on our blog and sign up for the research newsletter to be the first to know about our upcoming research studies. To find more data on what Canadians are reading, buying, and borrowing, visit our research page to look at our most recent reports and keep an eye out for the upcoming ones for more up-to-date information!
