Spider Man ignited the pandemic box office with the historic opening

According to estimates from distributor Sony Corp., "Spider Man: No Way Home" generated an additional $334.2 million in revenue for a total weekend of $587.2 million worldwide.

The blockbuster comebacks have given movie companies like AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, and Cineworld a much-needed boost, which are struggling to attract crowds during the pandemic.

Rockettes performances on Broadway and in New York City have been canceled, National Football League games have been postponed, and theaters are empty. Fans filled the auditoriums for "No Way Home," a theatrical-only big-budget superhero show co-produced by Sony and Walt Disney Co.

The film stars Tom Holland as Marvel's web-throwing superhero, Spider Man, and Zendaya as Spider Man's girlfriend, MJ, in the third movie of the Spider Man trilogy. It also brings back the stars of the previous "Spider Man" movies.

This weekend's historic 'Spider Man: No Way Home' results reaffirm the unique cultural impact that specialty theatrical films can have, across the globe and in the face of many challenges," said Tom Rothman, Chairman and CEO.

In a statement from Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group, "US and Canadian ticket sales smashed last week's most optimistic estimates, which analysts saw as a long shot of $200 million. It ended right behind "Avengers: Infinity War" and in front of the Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens."

Cinemark said ticket sales for No Returning Home were particularly strong in the United States and Latin America and on large-format screens.

Tom Holland thanked the fans and wrote "Thank you, thank you, and if you haven't seen Spider Man on his way home yet, Merry Christmas and you know what to do," on Instagram.

Jeff Bock, senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co., said the film's ending to a popular trilogy added to its appeal, and many fans wanted to see the new episode in its opening week before reading spoilers on social media.

Super Heroes

Jeff Bock added that the film's success, especially among teenagers accustomed to watching movies at home, underlines the continued appeal of superhero movies in theaters, and he said, "It reinforces the fact that superheroes are number one and everyone else is somewhere below."

The previous pandemic record was broken by the Marvel superhero movie "Venom: Let There Be Carnage". In its first three days in October, it received $90 million domestically. Marvel's "Black Widow" was released in May for $80 million.

Other genres have struggled to capture audiences. A remake of Steven Spielberg's critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated classic musical "West Side Story" sold $3.4 million worth of tickets in the US and Canada over the weekend. After two weekends in theaters, its global total is $27.1 million.