'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Swings To #1 Spot At Box Office, Opens To $200 Million+ Globally

The two biggest openings of the year belong to animated films

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse opened to $208 million at the global box office this weekend, a $120 million domestic/$88 million international split. Beating projections and tracking that placed its domestic open at $80-$90 million, that’s upwards of 33-50% more than was estimated. It’s since increased to $221 million through Monday.

The domestic opening lands it the second-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only the $146 million The Super Mario Bros. Movie earned, as well as the third-biggest opening weekend in the 20+ years of Spider-Man film history. Stellar reviews, positive word-of-mouth, and 4.5 years built of goodwill from the previous film Into the Spider-Verse, released in late 2018. Initial ticket sales for Across were significantly higher than the first film, which opened at just $35.5 million but mustered a finish at $190 million domestically and $384 million as its global total.

Across’s international debut total comes from 59 territories, led by China with $17.3 million, oddly only called “respectable” and “so-so”. It currently scores 9.4 on ticketing apps Maoyan and Tao Piao Piao, and 8.8 on the fan site Douban. That’s far better than any other Hollywood film currently out in the country. However, Maoyan only projects it to earn about $35 million in total there, way down from Into the Spider-Verse‘s $62.8 million. However, the domestic performance is sure to more than make up for it.

David A. Gross from movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research called the opening “exceptionally good”, that it “took a well-liked superhero, gave the storytelling an original visual style and voice and created a unique experience.” Across the Spider-Verse’s cliffhanger ending will be resolved on March 29, 2024, when Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse releases in theaters.

Source: Variety