UPDATE, Refresh for latest…: Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has swung to a $208.6M global opening. This is extra remarkable as it marks Sony’s biggest animated launch of all time. The international box office debut was $88.1M, ahead of early projections and 2.8x Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in like-for-likes, excluding China.
Reviews and strong word of mouth have helped power the arachnid as a summer must-see. Currently, there are 59 markets open with Japan and Korea to follow later in June. (Very smart to stay out of Korea this weekend where local pic, The Roundup: No Way Out, had an extraordinary opening of $34M).
China led all play at $17.3M amid great scores: 8.9 on Douban (the highest ever for a Marvel title), 9.4 at Maoyan, and 9.4 for Taopiaopiao. Next up was Mexico with $11.6M, followed by the UK at $11.5M.
MORE…
PREVIOUS: Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is casting its web in international box office markets with $13.5M through Thursday. That’s 2.5x the original in like-for-likes.
Notable in early reporting, India broke the local all-time opening day record for an animated movie with $610K while releasing on a non-traditional Thursday. The launch day gross is higher than the total opening weekend cumes of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Little Mermaid. The film also set market records for an animated movie with the widest release (2000+ screens) and the most languages at 10.
On Thursday, Mexico grossed $2.5M, double the opening day of Into the Spider-Verse, and 87% above The Little Mermaid, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy 3. The UK was $1.1M, or 5.3x the original.
France launched Wednesday with $935K, 3.5x the opening day of the first Spider-Verse, to good socials with Allocine at 4.1 from critics and 4.5 from audiences. The market cume through Thursday is $1.3M. Also, Australia bowed to $875K on Thursday, 2.5x the first installment, +25% vs. Ant-Man 3, and +2% vs. Guardians 3.
Meanwhile, the swingiest market is always China which typically loves the web-slinger character. So far, Across the Spider-Verse is high with critics at a Douban score of 9, and an audience Maoyan note of 9.4. The local gross through today (not included in the global number above) is $4M. Also opening on Friday is Spain. Japan and Korea are going later this month, on the 16th and 21st, respectively.
We’ll have more updates throughout the weekend…