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SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME BECOMES FIRST PANDEMIC ERA MOVIE TO SMASH THE BOX OFFICE
BUBBLE HOLIDAYS
December 28, 2021
OLD AND NEW
December 29, 2021“Spider-Man: No Way Home” unwrapped the best Christmas gift of all, becoming the first pandemic-era movie to cross $1 billion at the global box office.
Sony’s comic-book epic has eclipsed that milestone in a near-record 12 days, tying with 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the third-fastest film to reach the billion-dollar benchmark. Only 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” were quicker, smashing the coveted tally in 11 and five days, respectively.
It’s impressive that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” managed to blow past $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide given the rapidly spreading omicron variant of COVID-19. But, so far, coronavirus concerns have done little to slow Peter Parker’s prowess; the film is still playing to many sold-out screenings nationwide. The achievement makes Tom Holland’s Marvel superhero adventure the only movie since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” to surpass $1 billion globally. No other Hollywood film has come close to nearing those box office revenues in the last two years. Prior to Spidey’s reign, MGM’s James Bond sequel “No Time to Die,” which grossed $774 million globally, came the closest and stood as the highest-grossing Hollywood film of 2021 (and the pandemic).
With $1 billion banked, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” also took the earthly throne from another box-office behemoth, China’s local-language war film “The Battle at Lake Changjin” ($902 million globally), officially cementing its place as the year’s highest-grossing film worldwide. It’s also notable that “No Way Home” surpassed that high-watermark without playing in China, which is currently the world’s biggest moviegoing market.
At the domestic box office, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” had another dominant weekend, soaring high above the competition during a crowded Christmas corridor. The newest “Spider-Man” adventure collected $81 million from 4,336 North American theaters over the weekend, down 69% from its jaw-dropping debut.
