We all knew it was going to be a monster, but Spider-Man: No Way Home surpassed even the loftiest of expectations with a massive $253 million from 4,336 theaters, per Deadline.
That number places it third on the list of all-time domestic debuts, ranking only behind Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War, proving once again that the superhero brand is very much alive even amidst the pandemic. Spidey now owns the biggest December opening of all time, besting 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ $247.9 million opening.
RELATED: Ernie Hudson Confirms Another Ghostbusters Video Game Is in Development
Per the trade, using EntTelligence, 2o million people turned out for No Way Home, which is a ridiculous number even in normal times. Worldwide, the webhead collected a massive $587.2 million, again trailing only Avengers: Endgame ($1.22 billion) and Avengers: Infinity War ($640.5 million) — although Spidey’s figures don’t factor in China, where it’ll likely do amazing business.
With Spidey all but sucking up moviegoers’ attention, that left Guillermo Del Toro’s critically acclaimed Oscar hopeful, Nightmare Alley, scrounging for scraps. The moody drama earned a paltry $2.958 million at 2,145 locations, which, considering its $60 million budget, is a massive disappointment for the acclaimed director.
Speaking of which, any hope that Steven Spielberg’s stellar West Side Story would enjoy The Greatest Showman-like holiday legs went out the window as the $100 million pic dropped a massive 67% in its second weekend and hauled in just $3.416 million. To date, the musical remake of the 1961 classic has earned just $17.98million, placing it alongside the likes of Jon M. Chu’s In the Heights, Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, and Disney’s Encanto as one of the more disappointing box office earners of the year.
RELATED: Treason: Charlie Cox Reunites With Netflix For Spy Drama Miniseries
Otherwise, Ghostbusters: Afterlife crossed $117.2 million after earning $3.4 million this weekend, while House of Gucci collected another $1.85 million to bring its domestic total to $44.8 million. And while Spidey is killing it for Marvel, its previous release, Eternals, continues to rank as one of its meager efforts, resulting in a ho hum $163.6 million cume to date.
Next week sees the release of The Matrix Resurrections, though that film is also being released on HBO Max which will likely stunt its earnings potential.
DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE TOP 10
1.) Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) 4,336 theaters, Fri $121.85M/Sat $73.8M/Sun $57.3M/3-day $253M/Wk 1
2.) Encanto (Dis) 3,525 (-225) theaters, Fri $1.65M (-28%)/Sat $2.65M/Sun $2.2M/3-day $6.5M (-34%), Total $81.5M/Wk 4
3.) West Side Story (20th/Dis) 2,820 theaters, Fri $1.06M (-74%)/Sat $1.4M/Sun $956K/3-day $3.416M (-68%)/Total $17.98M/Wk 2
4.) Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Sony) 3,282 (-533) theaters, Fri $945K /Sat $1.4M/Sun $1M/3-day $3.4M (-52%) Total: $117.2M/Wk 5
5.) Nightmare Alley (Sea) 2,145 theaters, Fri $1.19M/Sat $938K/Sun $828K/3-day: $2.958M, Wk 1
6.)House of Gucci (UAR/MGM) 1,907 (-1,500) theaters, /Fri $579K (-54%)/Sat $773K/Sun $502K/3-day $1.85M (-55%)/Total: $44.88M/Wk 4
7.) Eternals (Dis) 1,900 (-1,130) theaters, Fri $337K (-58%)/Sat $473K/Sun $382K/ 3-day $1.19M (-62%)/Total $163.6M/Wk 7
8.) Pushpa: The Rise (Hamsini) 400 theaters, Fri $437,6K/Sat $399K/Sun $292K/3-day $1.13M/Wk 1
9.) Clifford the Big Red Dog (Par) 2,840 (-421) theaters, Fri $105K (-61%)/Sat $165K/Sun $130K/ 3-day $400K (-69%)/Total $48.5M/Wk 6
10.) Resident Evil: Raccoon City (Sony) 719 (-1,853) theaters, Fri $85K (-81%)/Sat $115K/Sun $80K/3-day $280K (-83%) Total $16.7M/Wk 4
