Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' snags eye-popping $50M in previews

For the first time since the pandemic began, the box office is booming

Via AP news wire
Friday 17 December 2021 17:40 GMT
Film Review - Spider-Man: No Way Home
Film Review - Spider-Man: No Way Home (©2021 CTMG. All Rights Reserved. MARVEL and all related character names: © & ™ 2021 MARVEL)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

For the first time since the pandemic began, the box office is booming. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” grossed $50 million in Thursday previews alone, a stunning start for a movie set to break pandemic records.

Sony Pictures “No Way Home" scored the third-largest preview total ever, trailing only those for “Avengers: Endgame” ($60 million) and “The Force Awakens" ($57 million). Previews once featured only late-night screenings, but they have steadily moved earlier in the day; “No Way Home” began playing around 3 p.m. in 3,767 locations.

But there was no exaggerating the eye-popping total for the Marvel release, starring Tom Holland “No Way Home” is on pace to be the first release of the pandemic to surpass $100 million. It could go as high as $150 million. The previous best of this year was also a Marvel-Sony release, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” which launched with $90.1 million.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is managing to pack theaters even as the spreading omicron variant is forcing closures in the entertainment industry, including numerous Broadway shows. As recently as last week, when Steven Spielberg's “West Side Story” opened softly, the box office had been fitfully sputtering back to life.

But while some moviegoers, particularly older ticket-buyers, have been more reluctant, the younger, devoted Marvel fanbase has proven resistant to the pandemic challenges of moviegoing. With “No Way Home," Marvel releases will make up five of the top six films of the year, including “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage," “Black Widow” and “Eternals

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in