Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has made a monumental impact with its opening day box office performance. The movie has achieved the highest opening day of 2023 so far, raking in an impressive $51.7 million. This surpasses the opening day of Super Mario Bros. with $31.7 million and even outshines the opening day of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by Disney/Marvel Studios, which stood at $48.1 million.
When it comes to the Spider-Man franchise, Across the Spider-Verse’s first day ranks as the third-best ever. It falls behind Spider-Man: No Way Home ($121.9 million) and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 ($59.8 million). It surpasses the opening days of other notable Spider-Man films, including Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming ($50.7 million) and Far From Home ($39.2 million), as well as the original 2002 Spider-Man ($39.4 million), Spider-Man 2 ($40.4 million), and Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($35.1 million).
In terms of animated films, Across the Spider-Verse claims the third-highest opening day, trailing behind Incredibles 2 ($71.2 million) and Finding Dory ($54.7 million). It also sets a new record for the best opening day ever for Sony Pictures Animation.
While industry experts predict a 3-day total exceeding $125 million, there is concern about front-loadedness due to strong initial fanboy turnout. Nonetheless, Across the Spider-Verse is expected to reach $113.5 million. The film’s unique blend of being an animated and a Marvel production adds to its intriguing trajectory.
The movie has received positive audience reactions, with PostTrak reporting 93% positive feedback and an 82% recommendation rate among general audiences. The demographic breakdown reveals a majority of male viewers at 63%, with 61% falling in the 18-34 age range. Notably, 18-24 year olds accounted for the largest turnout at 40%. Across the Spider-Verse performed exceptionally well across diverse demographics, with 34% Latino and Hispanic, 27% Caucasian, 22% Black, and 17% Asian/other.
The film experienced strong showings across the country, but particularly stood out in the East and West regions. Premium Large Format (PLF) screens and Imax auditoriums contributed to 33% of ticket sales for the sequel. The top-grossing theater for Across the Spider-Verse is the AMC Century City, generating $166,000 in revenue, including early shows.
On the other hand, 20th Century Studios’ The Boogeyman was anticipated to reach $15-17 million, but is now projected to fall short at $11.5 million. The horror film, with a production budget of $35 million, attracted a primarily female audience (57%) aged between 18-34, with the largest group being 25-34 year olds at 32%.
Despite Disney’s attempt to target young females (17-34) as counterprogramming, Spider-Man’s dominance has overshadowed The Boogeyman. Across the Spider-Verse’s appeal to the Latino/Hispanic community and strong female viewership under 25 (who, along with males over 25, provided the sequel with exceptional ratings at 94%) further impacted The Boogeyman’s performance. The demographic breakdown for The Boogeyman consisted of 35% Caucasian, 26% Latino/Hispanic, 24% Black, and 16% Asian/other. The film found its strongest audience reception in the South, South Central, and Midwest regions. The top-grossing theater for The Boogeyman is the AMC Orange, with nearly $9,000 in revenue for Friday, including early shows.
Overall, the success of Spider-Verse has contributed to a robust box office weekend, with a total of $209 million, marking a 72% increase compared to the same weekend in June last year and a 20% increase from the corresponding period in 2019. These numbers surpass the previous top-grossing film of the same weekend in the past, which was Godzilla: King of the Monsters from Warner Bros/Legendary, with earnings of $47.7 million.
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