Spider-Man swung back into action over the weekend, delivering an impressive $120.5 million in domestic box office revenue for Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” The highly anticipated sequel to the Academy Award-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” had the second-biggest opening of 2023, just behind Universal’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie.” It also marked the third-best opening weekend for any Spider-Man film, whether animated or live-action.
The appeal of “Across the Spider-Verse” extends beyond the core fans of the live-action films. As a PG animated film, it captures a younger audience, ensuring long-term cross-generational appeal for the character and the franchise. This success bodes well for the studio and movie theaters, according to Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore.
Data from EntTelligence indicates that “Across the Spider-Verse” attracted over 9 million moviegoers during the weekend, representing 56% of all foot traffic to theaters from Thursday through Sunday. Around 29% of patrons chose to watch the film in a premium format, paying an average of $4.52 more per ticket.
Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, sees this strong debut as evidence of audiences’ eagerness for fresh and edgy takes on both superhero and animated movies. It follows the success of recent box office hits like Disney and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” and Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
Meanwhile, “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” continued to perform well, generating an additional $10.2 million in ticket sales during its fifth weekend and reaching a total domestic gross of $322.7 million. Globally, the film has accumulated $780.1 million.
“The Little Mermaid” experienced a typical 58% drop in ticket sales from its first weekend to its second, earning $40.6 million worldwide. The film has now made $186.2 million domestically and $326.7 million globally.
Other notable releases include Disney’s “The Boogey Man,” which opened with $12 million in domestic ticket sales, and Universal’s “Fast X,” which added $9.24 million to its domestic haul, reaching $128.4 million.
Overall, the domestic box office for 2023 stands at around $3.6 billion, only 21.9% behind pre-pandemic levels. Compared to the same period in 2022, the 2023 box office is 27.9% higher.
With the strong start of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and the continued success of other films, industry experts are optimistic about the exciting summer market ahead, with theater owners, studios, and audiences heading full throttle into what promises to be a thrilling season.
Read More: Click here