Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is spinning a powerful web at the box office.
The sequel opened to $120.5 million, well ahead of expectations and the third-biggest opening ever for an animated film, as well as a best-ever for Sony Animation, not adjusted for inflation. It’s also the second-biggest opening of 2023 to date. The movie, which easily come in at No. 1, boasts both stellar reviews and audience scores.
Across the Spider-Verse played older than a traditional kid’s animated movie, with 67 percent of ticket buyers between the ages of 18 and 34. And, like almost all superhero films, the pic skewed male (62 percent), according to PostTrak. EntTelligence reports that the film enjoyed the most foot traffic of any 2023 release behind Universal’s The Super Movie Bros. Movie.
The accolades don’t stop there. Across the Spider-Verse‘s opening was three times as big as the Phil Lord and Christopher Miller-produced Into the Spider-Verse, which opened to $35.6 million domestically in 2018 on its way to becoming a box office sensation and topping out at $384.2 million worldwide.
Across the Spider-Verse again follows Marvel’s Miles Morales/Spider-Man, voiced by Shameik Moore, and Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, set across the multiverse of Spider-People. New voice castmembers include Issa Rae (Jessica Drew). The pic played to an ethnically diverse audience, according to exit-poll service PostTrak.
Lord and Miller returned as producers and writers, with David Callaham also writing the screenplay.
The movie will be followed by another sequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, in 2024.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid docked at second place in its sophomore weekend with an estimated $40.6 million from 4,320 theaters for a domestic total of $186.2 million. The live-action movie fell 58 percent.
Overseas, the live-action remake earned another $40.6 million for a foreign tally of $140.5 million and $326.7 million globally.
The Disney empire also took the third spot on the box office chart with the new horror pic The Boogeyman. The 20th Century pic, based on a Stephen King story, is looking at a solid domestic opening of $12.3 million. Overseas, the film started off with $7.7 million for a global start of $20 million.
Marvel and Disney holdover Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 passed up Fast X in its fifth weekend with an estimated $10.2 million for a North American cume of $322.8 million and $780.1 million worldwide. (All told, Disney claimed three of the top four spots on the domestic chart.)
Universal’s Fast X, which rounded out the top five, certainly wasn’t bereft. The pic celebrated crossing the $600 million mark globally, fueled by a stunning $474.8 million in foreign ticket sales.
More to come.
June 4, 7:13 a.m.: Updated with revised estimates.
The original version of this story was published on June 3 at 8:13 am.