New Spider-Man Film Records Second-Biggest Global Opening Weekend in Box Office History
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has delivered one of the strongest box office debuts of all time, earning an estimated $927 million (£687 million) worldwide during its opening weekend and becoming the second-highest global opening in cinema history.
The latest instalment of the Spider-Man franchise, starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, trails only Avengers: Endgame, which generated more than $1.2 billion during its opening weekend in 2019.
The film also posted the second-largest domestic opening on record, taking in $335 million across North America.
Its impressive debut provides a significant boost for Marvel Studios as it prepares for the December release of Avengers: Doomsday, following several years in which a number of the studio’s films failed to match the commercial success of earlier Marvel blockbusters.
Released in cinemas last week, Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues the story from 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, following Peter Parker as he navigates life and continues protecting the world after his identity as Spider-Man has been erased from public memory.
The film has received largely favourable reviews, with many critics describing it as Tom Holland’s strongest performance as the iconic superhero.
According to distributor Sony Pictures, the movie earned $572 million from more than 73,000 screens outside the United States. China accounted for $121 million of the international total, while cinemas in the United Kingdom generated $49 million over the opening weekend.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige described the film’s debut as “truly phenomenal,” adding that he was grateful to audiences for “coming out and experiencing our film the way it was meant to be seen.”
Brand New Day is Marvel’s final theatrical release before Avengers: Doomsday, which is expected to conclude several major storylines introduced after Avengers: Endgame.
Since the release of Endgame, Marvel has struggled to consistently recreate the record-breaking box office performances that defined its earlier films. Big-budget releases including The Marvels and Thunderbolts recovered their production costs but ranked among the studio’s lowest-grossing titles.
Spider-Man, however, has remained one of Marvel’s most commercially successful franchises, with Spider-Man: No Way Home generating almost $2 billion in global ticket sales.
The broader cinema industry has continued its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the shift toward streaming platforms such as Netflix and reduced theatre attendance.
This year, however, the theatrical market has shown renewed strength, with North American box office revenue projected to exceed $10 billion for the first time since 2019.
The recovery has been driven by major releases including Toy Story 5, Michael and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, each of which has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the global box office.
Industry analysts also expect Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, released in July, to join that list by crossing the $1 billion milestone.
Independent horror films have also enjoyed unexpected commercial success, with Obsession and Backrooms each earning more than $390 million worldwide despite being produced on comparatively modest budgets.
