Tom Holland's latest Spider-Man adventure earned a record $168 million on Friday and could challenge Avengers: Endgame for the biggest domestic opening weekend ever.
Everyone expected Spider-Man: Brand New Day to be a major hit. What few people predicted was that Marvel and Sony's latest Spider-Man adventure would begin rewriting the box office record books before its first weekend was over.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day delivered the biggest domestic opening day in box office history, earning an estimated $168 million from 4,487 North American theaters. The total includes a record-setting $72 million from preview screenings and surpasses the previous opening-day record of $157.4 million set by Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
The film had initially been projected to earn between $195 million and $225 million during its opening weekend. Following Friday's historic performance, Sony raised its estimate to approximately $325 million, while some industry projections suggested the final total could climb high enough to challenge the all-time opening-weekend record.
Avengers: Endgame currently holds that record with a $357 million domestic debut. Spider-Man: No Way Home follows with $260 million, while Avengers: Infinity War opened with $257 million and Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned $247 million during its first weekend.
Whether Brand New Day ultimately passes Endgame will not be known until the weekend estimates are finalized, but Peter Parker has already taken the opening-day crown away from Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
The enormous turnout follows the emotional ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which left Tom Holland's Peter Parker completely alone. Doctor Strange's spell erased the world's memory of Peter, including those of his girlfriend MJ, played by Zendaya, and his best friend Ned, played by Jacob Batalon.
In Brand New Day, Peter must continue protecting New York without the friends and allies who once knew his identity. Neither MJ nor Ned remembers who he is or the life they shared, forcing Peter to rebuild his world while confronting new dangers.
Holland and Zendaya return alongside a cast that includes Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Tramell Tillman. Bernthal appears as Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher, while Ruffalo reprises his role as Bruce Banner. Destin Daniel Cretton directs the film.
The opening demonstrates that audiences remain deeply invested in Holland's version of Spider-Man nearly a decade after he first appeared in Captain America: Civil War. It also suggests that the conclusion of No Way Home created considerable interest in seeing how Peter would move forward after losing every meaningful relationship in his life.
While Spider-Man dominated the weekend, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey continued its strong theatrical run. The ancient Greek epic earned an estimated $14.5 million Friday as it entered its third weekend in North American theaters.
The Universal release is projected to add approximately $51 million through Sunday, which would bring its domestic total to roughly $395 million. Its continued strength is particularly impressive considering the arrival of another major event film and keeps the epic moving closer to the $1 billion mark worldwide.
Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5 placed third Friday with approximately $1.8 million during its sixth week in theaters. The animated sequel is targeting an estimated $6.2 million weekend, which would push its North American total to approximately $461 million.
Universal's Minions & Monsters finished fourth after adding approximately $1.66 million Friday. The studio expects the family film to earn another $5.6 million by Sunday, bringing its domestic total to roughly $168 million after five weekends.
Disney's live-action Moana rounded out the top five with approximately $1.6 million Friday. It is projected to earn around $5.3 million over the weekend, which would raise its North American total to approximately $114 million after one month in theaters.
The other films in the top five are posting respectable numbers, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day is operating on an entirely different level. Its opening-day performance proves that audiences will still arrive in massive numbers when a movie feels like a genuine theatrical event.
The result is welcome news for Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios, and theater owners looking for another major release to drive summer attendance. It also reaffirms Spider-Man's position as one of the most valuable and recognizable characters in entertainment.
The timing could not be more appropriate. The record arrived on Spider-Man Day, giving fans another reason to celebrate the wall-crawler and his continued dominance at the box office.
Final weekend totals will determine whether Spider-Man: Brand New Day can take the opening-weekend record from Avengers: Endgame. Regardless of where the final number lands, Peter Parker has already secured the biggest domestic opening day in movie history.
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