'Hamnet' Overtakes Harry Potter Icon's Forgotten Shakespeare Conspiracy Thriller at the Box Office

2 weeks ago 16

Published Feb 13, 2026, 5:44 PM EST

Rohan Naahar is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Audiences are showing up in theaters for Hamnet and Marty Supreme, even though both period films were recently made available on the PVOD market. Films in the awards season race tend to do well at the box office for longer periods, as they're rolled out in overseas markets. For instance, Hamnet appears to have peaked domestically, but it has recently surged internationally and will likely continue to set new milestones as it nears the Oscars. Directed by Chloé Zhao, the movie presents a fictional account of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, following the death of their only son. Hamnet has been widely acclaimed and is nominated in eight categories, including Best Picture, at the upcoming Oscars. The movie has also emerged as a box office hit, having outgrossed several past period dramas and utterly decimated another alt-history film about Shakespeare.

Hamnet was given a customary platform release last November, beginning in around 120 theaters and peaking at nearly 2,000 theaters following the Oscar nominations in January. It appears to have slowed significantly at the domestic box office, but might rebound if it wins a few major awards at the Oscars. Hamnet has grossed around $22 million domestically and approximately $48 million from overseas markets so far, for a cumulative global haul of $70 million against a reported budget of $35 million. It holds a "Certified Fresh" 87% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "Breaking hearts and mending them in one fell swoop, Hamnet speculates on the inspiration behind Shakespeare's masterpiece with palpable emotional force thanks to Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal's astonishing performances."

Here's the Controversial Movie that 'Hamnet' Has Defeated at the Box Office

Hamnet has overtaken a rather controversial movie about Shakespeare, a mostly forgotten movie that suggested that The Bard was a fraud and that his celebrated writings were the work of another man. The movie we're talking about is Anonymous, a 2011 release that, much like the conspiracy theory it endorses, hasn't quite stood the test of time. Anonymous was directed by Roland Emmerich, and it grossed only $15 million worldwide against a reported budget of $30 million. It featured Rhys Ifans as Edward de Vere, the man it suggests was the real author of Shakespeare's plays. Anonymous holds a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it received a rave review from the late Roger Ebert, who dismissed the conspiracy theory but described the movie itself as "marvelous." The movie also boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Sam Reid (Interview with the Vampire), Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things), and more.