Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has stupid-huge opening weekend at the box office

When Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse came out in theaters in 2018, it injected a blast of creativity into a genre that even then was becoming a bit predictable. That trend has continued since then, with Marvel Studios overexposing its multiverse storyline to the apathetic eyes of audiences everywhere.

But the Spider-Verse movies are just getting better. The newest film, Across the Spider-Verse, picks up with teenage Spider-Man Miles Morales as he hops dimensions and meets all manner of other Spider-People. The first movie made around $35 million domestically on its opening weekend, which is solid. This new one made a staggering $120 million, handily beating expectations on the back of excellent reviews.

And that’s just domestically. Across the Spider-Verse made an additional $88 million internationally, bringing its opening weekend haul to $208 million, which easily makes back its $100 million budget. That budget, for the record, is decently below the budget for your average tentpole live-action superhero movie, perhaps in part because Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t trade in huge stars or big name directors. Yes, actors like Hailee Steinfeld and Oscar Isaac are in the mix, but the lead role is played by Shameik Moore. The directors are Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse crushes weekend box office

Here are the 10 top-earning movies from this past weekend:

1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, $120.5 million.
2. The Little Mermaid, $40.6 million.
3. The Boogeyman, $12.3 million.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, $10.2 million.
5. Fast X, $9.2 million.
6. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, $3.4 million.
7. About My Father, $2.1 million.
8. The Machine, $1.8 million.
9. Suga: Agust D Tour Live in Japan, $1.2 million.
10. You Hurt My Feelings, $770,000.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie, another animated film, was the first feature of 2023 to earn $1 billion at the box office. I wouldn’t be surprised if Across the Spider-Verse ended up being the second. There’s also a sequel on the way: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is due out next year.

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h/t Associated Press