The animated sensation, Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is soaring to unprecedented heights, leaving its 2018 predecessor, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, far behind in its web. The sequel’s exceptional performance at the box office doesn’t merely echo its predecessor; it emulates and potentially even surpasses the trends typically set by Marvel’s live-action blockbusters. As the film enters its seventh week of release, it has crossed the global box office threshold of $650 million, remaining robust in the face of a constantly changing competitive landscape.
Accumulating an impressive $368 million in domestic box office collections alone, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse recently added another $6 million to its growing kitty this weekend. The film stands on the precipice of exceeding $300 million internationally. As directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson guide this multiverse adventure, the blockbuster has managed to amass a worldwide total of $663 million. In contrast, its predecessor, Into the Spider-Verse, concluded with $190 million domestically and $384 million globally.
The Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse managed to snag the Best Animated Feature award, surprising many. Mirroring its predecessor, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has garnered exceptional praise from both audiences and critics alike. The film maintains an outstanding score of 96% on the review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes.
The film kickstarted its journey with an astounding opening of $120 million in June and demonstrated resilience in the following weeks, despite the release of major studio films. These included Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Flash, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Pixar’s Elemental. Given the current trajectory, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse could potentially surpass $700 million globally by the end of its theatrical run. The film continues to screen across over 60 international markets, occupying more than 6,000 screens.
Contrasting Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with Other Spidey Endeavours
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has ascended to the ranks typically held by live-action Spider-Man films. To put things into perspective, the three films from Sam Raimi’s original trilogy gathered between $788 million (Spider-Man 2) and $894 million (Spider-Man 3) worldwide. Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man managed to reel in $757 million globally, while its sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, fetched $708 million almost a decade ago. The spectrum for Jon Watts’ three-part Spider-Man series ranges from $880 million worldwide for Spider-Man: Homecoming to an astonishing $1.9 billion for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse boasts the vocal talents of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Bryan Tyree Henry, Issa Ray, Karan Soni, Luna Lauren Vélez, and Oscar Isaac. The successful series is set to carry on with the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
In Conclusion
The success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse marks a significant moment for animated movies, demonstrating their ability to compete with and even outperform live-action counterparts. The film’s commendable earnings, both domestically and internationally, along with the positive response from audiences and critics, show the tremendous potential that lies in this evolving genre. As we eagerly await the next chapter in this saga, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, it’s clear that the superhero phenomenon has truly transcended boundaries, further solidifying its unique place in the realm of cinema.
