The new Spider-Man movie, starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, set a new box office record for previews, surpassing “Avengers: Endgame” and heading for one of the biggest opening weekends in film history.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is already leaving its mark on box office history. The Sony and Marvel film grossed a staggering $72 million in previews, including early access screenings on Wednesday and Thursday night screenings, according to numbers from Box Office Mojo.
This figure surpasses the previous record, set by “Avengers: Endgame” with $60 million, and demonstrates unprecedented demand for the wall-crawler's new adventure.
The success of the previews is not the only milestone that the film has achieved before its release. The first trailer for “Brand New Day” had already made history by reaching 718.6 million views in its first 24 hours and exceeding one billion views in just four days, becoming the first trailer to achieve this feat.
Box office expectations
Although Sony is maintaining a conservative projection of $190 to $195 million for the US opening weekend, many analysts are predicting much higher numbers, Variety notes.
Experts estimate the film could gross between $260 million and $280 million in its opening weekend domestically, which would make it the second-biggest opening in history, behind only “Avengers: Endgame.”
Some forecasts even suggest that the film could surpass the $300 million barrier in its opening weekend. In the international market, the film is expected to add between $275 and $300 million, which would put its global debut at an impressive $465 million, according to Sony projections.
To contextualize these numbers, only nine films in history have surpassed $200 million in their domestic release, with “Avengers: Endgame” being the only one to surpass $300 million. “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the previous installment in the franchise, set a record $260 million in its domestic debut.
About the movie
“Brand New Day” picks up the story four years after the events of “No Way Home,” in a world that has completely forgotten that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Holland's hero now faces a life of loneliness, without his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) or his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), while fighting crime full-time in a city that doesn't remember his identity.
The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, explores a more mature and emotionally complex Peter Parker. According to early reviews, the film presents a surprising evolution in the hero's powers, linked to his emotional state and the trauma of seeing his loved ones move on without him.
The cast of “Brand New Day” includes the newly married couple formed by Tom Holland and Zendaya, who already demonstrated their on-screen chemistry and box office draw with the recent success of “The Odyssey.” Returning alongside them are Jacob Batalon as Ned, Jon Bernthal as the Punisher and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner.
The big news is the addition of Sadie Sink, whose role as a mysterious villain has been one of the production's best kept secrets. The plot presents a threat that cannot even be seen, which adds an element of suspense and unknown danger for the hero.
