Some Broadway shows have been canceled in New York City. There are long lines to get tested for COVID. The number of cases is on the rise. SNL continued to air despite the absence of the majority of its cast and crew. Another devastating winter wave, caused by the Omicron variety, is on the way. Looking at the box office results for Spider-Man: No Way Home, though, you wouldn’t know that. The Marvel threequel went on to have one of the greatest opening weekends in film history, with an opening day that was both a pandemic-era best and second only to Avengers: Endgame (also starring Tom Holland’s Peter Parker).
No Way Home, which takes Spidey into the multiverse, made $253 million over the three-day pre-Christmas weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That’s not all, though. It grossed $334.2 million in foreign markets, bringing the total haul to $587.2 million. (Note that this does not include China.)
Domestically, the haul — and, one again, during a once-in-a-generation public health crisis likely to intensify — makes it the third-largest-ever debut, not adjusted for inflation. Avengers: Endgame takes the top spot with $357 million, followed by Avengers: Infinity War with $257.6 million and No Way Home with $257.6 million. However, it did outgross Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($248 million), Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($220 million), and Jurassic World ($208.8 million) in the American box office.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the previous weekend box office champ of the epidemic era, grossed a “mere” $90 million. The previous three Marvel films, Black Widow ($80 million), Shang-Chi ($75 million), and Eternals ($71 million), were all easily beaten by No Way Home.
Non-comic book fare, on the other hand, has continued to sink like a stone. Following Steven Spielberg’s (excellent) version of West Side Story ($10 million) last weekend, Guillermo del Toro’s star-studded remake of the classic noir Nightmare Alley only garnered $2.9 million. This means that adult viewers are still staying at home — especially as the number of cases continues to rise — and that films not geared at the young and carefree have a bleak future.
On the other hand, it sure does look like those who made it out to the latest webslinger movie really enjoyed themselves.
