LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20 (US): Never underestimate your friendly Spider-Man neighborhood, even with a mutated virus afoot. Despite growing concerns about the omicron variant, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” not only broke pandemic-era box office records; It became the third-best opening ever, after Avengers: Endgame ($357.1 million) and Avengers: Infinity War ($257.7 million).
Sony and Marvel raked in a staggering $253 million in ticket sales from 4,325 North American locations, the studio estimated Sunday, and also hit a record high for December, AP reports.
The success of the web-thrower couldn’t have come sooner for a movie company that had a rollercoaster ride of 2021, and could head off to a rough start into 2022 as the micron variant of the coronavirus forces more and more event cancellations.
Historic ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ results this weekend, from around the world and in the face of many challenges, reaffirm the unparalleled cultural impact that exclusive theatrical films can have when they are produced and marketed with vision and determination, he said. Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO, said in a statement: “All of us at Sony Pictures are incredibly grateful for the incredible talent, both in front of and behind the camera, who has produced such a landmark film.”
Within five days of playing in international theaters, it collected $334.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its global sales total to $587.2 million against a production budget of $200 million. The film has not yet opened in markets such as Thailand and Japan, and there is no set release date for China.
As the third independent Spider-Man film of the Tom Holland era, “No Way Home” has always been an “event movie” for audiences. After several delays over the course of the year, Sony proceeded to launch in the pre-Christmas window, and late last week predicted an opening for the best pandemic in the $130-$150 million range.
But it soon became clear that “Spider-Man” would fly much higher. The movie made $121.5 million on its first day – just off “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” from second place.
Directed by John Watts, No Way Home meets Dutchman Peter Parker as he wrestles with the world to discover the identity of his superhero, featuring Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. The spoiled promise reveals that it only added to the frantic hype that spawned lines and sales pitches across the country.
“For the target audience, this is an absolutely must-see, and it requires a watch,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst at Comscore. “It is impossible for fans to choose not to participate because of the omicron.”
Many moviegoers also spent higher dollars to see the movie on the largest screens possible. According to IMAX, an estimated $36.2 million of the global total comes from large format screens.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home is an exclamation point for the comeback we saw at the box office in 2021,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. “With these historic results, IMAX continues to see massive releases generate box office at or above pre-pandemic levels.”
And it wasn’t just fans who gave the film good marks: reviews were also very positive. It has a 94% “Modern” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
On Instagram, Holland thanked fans for the records.
“You made this possible. Your love and support means the world to me,” Holland wrote on Saturday. “Thank you, thank you, thank you and if you haven’t seen Spider-Man away from home yet… Merry Christmas and you know what to do.”
Before this weekend, Sony’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” has set the record for the best opening of the pandemic with $90.1 million.
But it wasn’t all the festivities at the box office this weekend. In the wake of Spider-Man there have been some notable casualties, including Guillermo del Toro’s star-studded “Nightmare Alley,” which grossed just $3 million from 2,145 theaters. It opened at number five after Spider-Man, Encanto ($6.5 million), West Side Story ($3.4 million), and Ghostbusters: Afterlife ($3.4 million).
Nightmare Alley has had a high profile and big awards behind it, with a cast that includes Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, but after a week of foiling Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”, it’s a stark reminder of the cinematic realities during the pandemic and the strength of Marvel’s fan base.
In a one-take-all movie setting, more often than not, this movie was a Marvel movie. Including “No Way Home,” Marvel releases will make up five of this year’s top six movies, including “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Black Widow,” and “Eternal.”
Fearing that anyone would cling to their hopes that “West Side Story” “Greatest Showman” would be profitable after its poor start, 20th Century Studios’ release dropped 67% in its second weekend in theaters, bringing in just $3.4 million.
But Spider-Man could help the industry in general as it approaches 2022.
“It is almost hard to describe how significant this debut was to an industry that was experiencing one of the biggest challenges in its history under the pandemic,” Dergarabedian said. “Having such a resounding mandate in favor of the movie theater experience as expressed in such unimaginable numbers even just a few months ago makes this a watershed moment for cinemas that I believe will be debated for decades.”
Estimated ticket sales Friday through Sunday in US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” $253 million.
2. “Encanto” $6.5 million.
3. “West Side Story” $3.4 million.
4. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” $3.4 million.
5. Nightmare Alley $3 million.
6. “House of Gucci” $1.9 million.
7. “Eternals” $1.2 million.
8. “Clifford The Big Red Dog,” $400,000 USD.
9. “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” $280,000
10. “Poison: Let There Be Carnage,” $220,000