$SONY.US$ scored a grand slam at the box office over the weekend with a $253 million U.S. premiere theatrical engagement for “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
What Happened: The film, which opened in 4,336 theaters, was the top grossing December premiere of all time and third only to the $257.6 million gross from "Avengers: Infinity War" in 2018 and the $357.1 million from "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019 as the most financially successful U.S. opening engagement of all time. The film also triumphed around the world, with $334.2 million from 60 international markets for a global sum of $587.2 million – an achievement that occurred without having the film in the lucrative Chinese theatrical market.
The success of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” stood in stark contrast to last weekend’s dismal financial tally for the $DIS.US$ “West Side Story” as the top-grossing film, with a $10.5 million premiere engagement. That film sank during its second week in theaters, placing third among the top 10 grossing films with $3.14 million in ticket sales. Another Disney title, the animated “Encanto,” was the second top grossing film from the weekend with $6.5 million in ticket sales for its fourth week in release.