Web Slinger, Record Breaker: Spider-Man Topples the Avengers

Spider-Man has faced alien armies, multiversal villains and more than one identity crisis. Now he has defeated his most formidable opponents yet: the entire Avengers.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has delivered a staggering $360 million opening weekend in the US, officially surpassing Avengers: Endgame to secure the biggest debut in box-office history. The final total exceeded Sunday’s initial estimate of $355 million and edged past the $357 million record set by Endgame in 2019.

It means Brand New Day and Endgame remain the only two films ever to earn more than $300 million during a single opening weekend in the US. The next closest contenders are Spider-Man: No Way Home, which opened with $260 million in 2021, and Avengers: Infinity War, which achieved $257 million in 2018.

In other words, Marvel Studios is responsible for all four of the biggest US debuts in cinema history. Superhero fatigue? Apparently nobody told Spider-Man.

The numbers become even more spectacular when the rest of the world is included. Sony and Marvel’s latest adventure launched with $932 million globally, making it the second-biggest worldwide opening of all time. Only Avengers: Endgame, with its extraordinary $1.2 billion debut, has earned more during its first weekend.

Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman celebrated the achievement by offering “360 million thank-yous” to the filmmakers, cast, producers and Sony team behind the film’s production, marketing and distribution campaign. He added that while records are made to be broken, the studio will take enormous pride in this one for as long as it lasts.

There were plenty of other records caught in Spidey’s web. According to Variety, Brand New Day generated the largest preview total in history with $72 million and secured the biggest opening day ever with $169.8 million.

Directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, the story picks up after the events of No Way Home. The entire world has forgotten Peter Parker, including MJ and Ned, but Peter is still protecting New York City while dealing with loneliness, a mysterious new threat and increasingly unstable powers.

The spectacular debut continues the remarkable growth of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man series. Homecoming began with $117 million in the US before earning $880 million globally. Far From Home finished with $1.13 billion, while No Way Home reached a colossal $1.9 billion.

With enthusiastic audiences, relatively limited competition and an entire summer ahead, Brand New Day now has a genuine chance of joining the exclusive $2 billion club. Only seven films have ever reached that landmark.

Peter Parker may have been forgotten by everyone in his own world, but cinema audiences clearly remember him. After this historic weekend, Tom Holland certainly shouldn’t hang up the suit just yet.