Marvel’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” scored the third-biggest opening weekend in box office history with $253 million, according to industry estimates out Sunday, despite a resurgent coronavirus pandemic fueled by the new Omicron variant.
The latest edition of the long-running and lucrative film franchise — co-produced by Marvel Studios and Columbia Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures — stars Tom Holland, Zendaya and Benedict Cumberbatch.
It’s the first film in the pandemic era to top $100 million at North American theaters in its first weekend, and has already exceeded the total domestic gross of any film released since March 2020, surpassing Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which has grossed $224.5 million.
The only two films to make more money in their opening weekends are 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” with $357 million, and 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” with $257.6 million.
Disney’s animated film “Encanto” was a distant second with $6.5 million in its fourth week in theaters, Comscore reported.
“West Side Story” was third with $3.41 million in its second weekend, followed by “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which took in $3.4 million Friday through Sunday.
“Nightmare Alley,” director Guillermo del Toro’s remake of a 1947 film noir, opened in fifth place with $2.9 million.
Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases, as estimated by Comscore, were “House of Gucci” ($1.8 million), “Eternals” ($1.1 million), “Clifford the Big Red Dog” ($400,000), “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” ($280,000), and “Venom: Let There be Carnage” ($220,000).