New Spider-Man film surpasses $1.3b globally
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LOS ANGELES • The new Spider-Man became the first billion-dollar-grossing film of the pandemic era over the Christmas weekend, reaching the milestone while holding firmly to the North American box-office top spot, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said on Sunday.
Spider-Man: No Way Home, British star Tom Holland's third solo outing in the wildly popular role, has grossed US$467.3 million (S$633.7 million) in North America and US$587 million internationally, raking in more than US$1 billion over 12 days and proving analysts' predictions that it could reach the milestone sum.
It rocketed to that benchmark at a speed matched only by Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), according to industry outlet Variety, and comes even as the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant casts a pall over holiday outings worldwide.
Sony's latest instalment of the comic-inspired series took an estimated US$81.5 million in North America for the three-day period over the Christmas weekend, holding its top spot after scoring the third-biggest domestic opening of all time with more than US$260 million, smashing early estimates.
Its debut box-office sales trailed only 2019's Avengers: Endgame (US$357 million) and the previous year's Avengers: Infinity War (US$258 million), according to the BoxOfficeMojo website.
With an estimated US$23.8 million, Sing 2, Universal's star-studded animated jukebox musical follow-up to Sing (2016), was last weekend's runner-up.
It beat two other new series instalments. The Matrix Resurrections from Warner Bros, in which actor Keanu Reeves reprises his iconic role as Neo, underperformed at US$12 million.
In fourth place, also earning less than expected, was The King's Man, 20th Century's spy prequel to the Kingsman films (2014 to 2017), with US$6.4 million.
Lionsgate's American Underdog - based on the true story of former American football quarterback Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a grocery store to National Football League Most Valuable Player - slid in at No. 5 on its opening weekend with an estimated US$6.2 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were West Side Story (US$2.8 million), Licorice Pizza (US$2.3 million), A Journal For Jordan (US$2.2 million), Encanto (US$2 million) and 83 (US$1.8 million).
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
