‘Spider-Man’ breaks North American preview record as Hollywood eyes a return to 2019
Hollywood’s effort to regain its pre-pandemic earning power is set for a strong boost this weekend. Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ superhero film “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has generated USD 72 million from advance screenings and preview shows, according to the source, setting a record for a Hollywood film. The previous record was held by 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which took in USD 60 million from previews ahead of its opening weekend. Analysts broadly expect “Brand New Day” to generate USD 260 million to USD 270 million in North American domestic box office during its opening weekend. Its worldwide opening-weekend box office is expected to reach USD 425 million. Compared with historical opening records, the previous Spider-Man film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” ranked second historically after taking in USD 260 million domestically during its 2021 opening weekend. In 2019, “Avengers: Endgame” generated a remarkable USD 357 million in North American domestic box office over its three-day opening weekend. “Endgame” set its record with 24-hour marathon screenings and a massive expansion of showtimes. “Brand New Day” also has early-morning and late-night screenings scheduled, but it is not yet clear whether its screening scale can match that of “Endgame.” “Brand New Day” also faces competition from “The Odyssey,” directed by Christopher Nolan and distributed by Universal Pictures, which has booked all IMAX auditoriums. Even so, the clash between the two major releases is giving Hollywood a chance to return to 2019 levels. As the last year before COVID-19 led to theater closures and a sharp drop in performance, 2019 box-office data has long served as the film industry’s benchmark for measuring recovery. Box Office Mojo data show North American domestic box office at USD 5.6 billion year to date, down 16% from 2019. Summer box office currently stands at USD 3.05 billion, just 9% below the comparable period in 2019. With “The Odyssey” extending its run through September and “Brand New Day” remaining in strong release throughout the summer, the gap could narrow further. For context, U.S. movie box office first surpassed USD 10 billion for a full year in 2009 and remained above that level through 2019. Since 2020, the best annual result has been USD 8.9 billion in 2023. The source identifies Box Office Mojo as the data source. Hollywood’s next wave of major releases will arrive at the end of the year. Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” is scheduled for November, while Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part Three” and Disney’s “Avengers: Doomsday” are due in theaters in mid-December.
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ superhero film “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has generated USD 72 million from advance screenings and preview shows, according to the source, setting a record for a Hollywood film. The previous record was held by 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which took in USD 60 million from previews ahead of its opening weekend.
Analysts broadly expect “Brand New Day” to generate USD 260 million to USD 270 million in North American domestic box office during its opening weekend. Its worldwide opening-weekend box office is expected to reach USD 425 million.
Compared with historical opening records, the previous Spider-Man film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” ranked second historically after taking in USD 260 million domestically during its 2021 opening weekend. In 2019, “Avengers: Endgame” generated a remarkable USD 357 million in North American domestic box office over its three-day opening weekend.
“Endgame” set its record with 24-hour marathon screenings and a massive expansion of showtimes. “Brand New Day” also has early-morning and late-night screenings scheduled, but it is not yet clear whether its screening scale can match that of “Endgame.”
“Brand New Day” also faces competition from “The Odyssey,” directed by Christopher Nolan and distributed by Universal Pictures, which has booked all IMAX auditoriums.
Even so, the clash between the two major releases is giving Hollywood a chance to return to 2019 levels. As the last year before COVID-19 led to theater closures and a sharp drop in performance, 2019 box-office data has long served as the film industry’s benchmark for measuring recovery.
Box Office Mojo data show North American domestic box office at USD 5.6 billion year to date, down 16% from 2019. Summer box office currently stands at USD 3.05 billion, just 9% below the comparable period in 2019. With “The Odyssey” extending its run through September and “Brand New Day” remaining in strong release throughout the summer, the gap could narrow further.
For context, U.S. movie box office first surpassed USD 10 billion for a full year in 2009 and remained above that level through 2019. Since 2020, the best annual result has been USD 8.9 billion in 2023.
The source identifies Box Office Mojo as the data source.
Hollywood’s next wave of major releases will arrive at the end of the year. Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” is scheduled for November, while Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part Three” and Disney’s “Avengers: Doomsday” are due in theaters in mid-December.