Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home rang in 2022 in style, earning another $52.7 million over New Year’s weekend to become the 10th top grossing film in history with $609.9 million in domestic ticket sales, not adjusted for inflation.
Globally, the webslinger has set a slew of records, including becoming the first film of the pandemic era to clear a $1 billion threshold at the worldwide box office, a feat it accomplished without China.
Spider-Man is a huge win for Sony and starts off the new year on a positive note for Hollywood and theater owners. It’s the first film to do pre-pandemic level business even amid worries over omicron.
Universal and Illumination’s family Sing 2 was the other big Christmas win for the stressed-out Hollywood film business. Now that kids ages 5 and older can be vaccinated, family films are picking up. Sing 2 stayed at No. 2 over New Year’s weekend with $19.6 million for a 14-day gross of $89.8 million. Disney’s Encanto — which remains in the top 10 — also finished the weekend with more than $90 million in the bank domestically, but it has taken since Thanksgiving to get there.
Meanwhile, The Matrix Resurrections and The King’s Man both disappointed in their holiday openings.
Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow’s Matrix — which is also available on HBO Max — was especially mopey over New Year’s weekend as it got overtaken by both King’s Man and American Underdog, a Christian movie about NFL quarterback Kurt Warner.
King’s Man, from 20th Century and Disney, came in No. 3 with $4.5 million for a 14-day domestic total of $19.5 million and global showing of $47.8 million.
Lionsgate and the Erwin Brothers’ American Underdog grossed an estimated $4.1 million for a nine-day domestic total of $15 million.
Matrix Resurrections rounded out the top five with $3.8 million for a 14-day domestic tally of $30.0 million. The film fell notably more than any other title in the top 10 — or 64 percent — revealing the impact of a hybrid release on HBO Max.
The reboot is faring far better overseas, where it is getting an exclusive theatrical release. The film’ foreign total stands at $75.1 million for a global cume of $106 million.
Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story continued to lag, earning $2.1 million for a domestic total of $39.6 million and $47.2 million. The musical opened in earlier December, but wasn’t able to find its holiday spirit.
At the specialty box office, Licorice Pizza beat the competition, grossing $1.5 million in its second weekend of expansion for an early total of $6.3 million.
More to come.
Source: HollyWood
