“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” debuted in U.S. and Canadian theaters with $120.5 million, more than doubling the 2018 animated original’s opening and exhibiting the type of movie-to-movie box-office increase that Hollywood franchises crave.
Sony Pictures’ multi-verse spinning animated Spider-Man spinoff, “Across the Spider-Verse,” debuted Sunday to strong reviews (95 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and buzz.
“Into the Spider-Verse” introduced Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a punk-rock Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), and other Spider-People to the clichéd superhero genre. $384.3 million globally from $35.4 million debut.
“Across the Spider-Verse,” which exponentially extends the film’s universe-skipping realms, cost $100 million, half the usual live-action comic-book movie. “Across the Spider-Verse” would have been a smash at even $80 million.
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Earns $120.5 million
Instead, it became a box-office hit and the second-biggest domestic opening of 2023, after “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” “Across the Spider-Verse,” directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, had the biggest opening weekend of the summer, surpassing “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” ($118 million).
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s film is part two in a trilogy that will end next year. With $88.1 million internationally, “Across the Spider-Verse” outperformed.
Theaters are full of family-friendly movies after a slow start to 2023. In its second weekend, Walt Disney Co.’s “The Little Mermaid” fell to second with $40.6 million.
“The Little Mermaid” dropped 57% after opening with $95.5 million and $117.5 million during Memorial Day weekend, partially owing to “Across the Spider-Verse.”
“The Little Mermaid” received mixed reviews but a “A” CinemaScore from viewers after costing $250 million. This time, Disney live-action remakes are struggling internationally. The picture grossed $42.4 million overseas during the weekend.
Disney’s Stephen King short tale adaption “The Boogeyman” was the weekend’s most popular counter-programming. Before the studio switched, Sophie Thatcher and Chris Messina’s $35 million Rob Savage picture was set to release on Hulu. Tickets sold $12.3 million.
“Past Lives,” a Sundance hit, opened on four screens with a $58,067 per-screen average. Greta Lee plays a lady divided between her Korean childhood friend (Teo Yoo) and her American husband (John Magaro) in Celine Song’s debut.
Comscore estimates Friday-Sunday ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
- “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” $120.5 million
- “The Little Mermaid,” $40.6 million
- “The Boogeyman,” $12.3 million
- “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” $10.2 million
- “Fast X,” $9.2 million
- “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” $3.4 million
- “About My Father,” $2.1 million
- “The Machine,” $1.8 million
- “Suga: Agust D Tour Live in Japan,” $1.2 million
- “You Hurt My Feelings,” $770,000
