There has been no end to the murmurs from industry analysts over the years of a certain franchise fatigue setting in among today’s blockbusters, with the implication that those unassailable opening-day box office figures are best left to the history books. But throw Peter Parker on screen and all the commercial rules of cinema go out the window.
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day just shattered those expectations. The Tom Holland vehicle has silenced talk of untouchable records by bringing in an eye-popping $72 million in the domestic market via its Thursday previews and early access. In doing so, it has deposed an industry titan that more than one trade expert was sure would never be unseated.
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A New High-Water Mark for the Avengers?
The numbers tell the story. With a true Thursday gross in the region of $68.7 million plus early access, Brand New Day’s $72 million tally puts it ahead of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the former record holder which saw $60 million come in on its historic Thursday night opening. It is an impressive financial statement; the sequel’s single evening of preview income is on a par with the entire domestic run of some major summer titles that have only just left theaters. Even the $50 million preview run posted by No Way Home back in December of 2021 looks modest by comparison.
All of this points to a simple fact: while there is anxiety in the industry about cinematic universe weariness, the public still considers the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler to be in a class of his own. Backed by rapturous word-of-mouth and an “A” CinemaScore to boot, not to mention the kind of universal praise from critics and ticket-buyers alike, the film is running as well as could be hoped on the commercial front.
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A Monumental Global Weekend in the Making
The numbers coming in from multiplexes tell a story of sold-out houses in virtually every key market, both at home and abroad. According to the tracking data, Brand New Day is well on its way to setting up one of the biggest global opening weekends ever recorded for a motion picture. Sony has been characteristically reserved with their internal projections, but box office analysts who are not so conservative see the film as a serious contender for the top tier of post-pandemic records; they expect a worldwide debut to put in excess of $450 million.
In an industry that has been making an effort to build some steady theatrical momentum over the summer slate, the success of Brand New Day is a case in point. It is a testament to the fact that there is still nothing like the power of a good film: put a familiar face and some real emotional weight behind it and you will have audiences turning up at the theater in historic numbers.