“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” achieved a historic milestone in its opening weekend at theaters. The superhero film, released by Sony, became the second-largest North American opening with an impressive $355 million in ticket sales, as per studio estimates. This puts it just behind “Avengers: Endgame,” which opened at $357 million in 2019. The movie also grossed $572 million internationally from over 73,500 screens, with a significant contribution of $121 million from China. This brought its worldwide debut to $927 million, ranking it second after “Endgame” at $1.2 billion.
Tom Holland, returning as the iconic webslinger, continues a successful run. His third standalone Spider-Man film, “No Way Home,” earned over $1.9 billion globally, marking it as the eighth highest-grossing movie of all time. It also became the first film during the pandemic to surpass $1 billion in earnings. The success of “Brand New Day” coincided with the continued draw of another film featuring Holland and Zendaya, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which secured the second spot with $51 million in its third weekend.
The combined success of these films contributed to the largest weekend ever for North American theaters, with approximately $430 million in ticket sales, reported by Rentrak. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” launched strongly, with a record $168 million opening day in 4,487 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, surpassing the $157 million Friday record set by “Avengers: Endgame.” The studio had anticipated a $325 million opening weekend, which would have surpassed any second-place record. It replaces “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which opened with $260 million in December 2021. Other significant opening weekends include “Avengers: Infinity War” ($257 million in 2018) and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($247 million in 2015).
Expectations for “Brand New Day,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced for a reported $225 million, were high. There were doubts about matching the enthusiasm of its predecessor, which featured previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. However, interest soared, with strong reviews from critics and audiences, holding a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience ratings included an “A” CinemaScore and five stars on PostTrak. Viewers were predominantly male (61%), with a significant portion under 25, according to PostTrak, with 36% aged 18-24 and 27% aged 25-34. EntTelligence estimates around 24.1 million people attended the film this weekend, marking Sony Pictures’ largest opening.
Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group Chairman Tom Rothman lauded Holland’s performance, noting the decision to delay “Brand New Day” production for Holland’s role in “The Odyssey.” Concerns about the decline of superhero films lingered since “Endgame,” with some major disappointments from Marvel Studios. Yet success continues when executed well, exemplified by “No Way Home” and “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which earned over $1.3 billion. Marvel Studios president and ‘Spider-Man’ producer Kevin Feige remarked on the enduring appeal of Marvel characters globally, hinting at future developments.
Producer Amy Pascal added that the film’s success demonstrates audiences’ desire for spectacular yet relatable stories. The year also saw a resurgence in cinema attendance among younger audiences, who made hits out of films like “Obsession,” “Backrooms,” and “The Drama,” also starring Zendaya. This support has helped elevate blockbusters, with “Spider-Man” benefiting from the momentum following “The Odyssey,” which saw only a 43% third-weekend box office decline. “The Odyssey” has currently accumulated $395.5 million domestically, with a global total of $911.4 million. Upcoming releases in South Korea (Aug. 5), China (Aug. 14), and Japan (Sept. 11) are expected to boost earnings.
The top five concluded with several animated PG films. “Toy Story 5” took third place, earning $6.3 million, followed by “Minions & Monsters” and “Moana.” In the broader scope, “Hadestown: The Musical” achieved sixth place with $2 million, surpassing “Hamilton” as the highest-grossing live theater capture release with $18.2 million.
Paul Dergarabedian of Rentrak noted the potential influence of “Spider-Man” in pushing the summer movie season past the $4 billion mark for the first time since the 2023 ‘Barbenheimer’ summer and the third billion-dollar August. August holds the possibility of a record-setting box office year-end, aiming for the $10 billion mark.