“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” earned the highest preview day in box office history with $74.5 million earned during Thursday previews and setting up a huge opening for the upcoming Marvel sequel.
These earnings break the previous record held by the film “Avengers: Endgame” from 2019 and exceed the previous record of $50 million earned from the preview of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in 2021, being the highest for any film in the Spider-Man franchise.
According to the pace of ticket sales on Thursday, industry experts predict that the film can open over $350 million at the domestic box office. Such an opening will rank among the biggest openings ever and may achieve the record-breaking $357.1 million opening achieved by “Endgame.”
Outside the United States, the figures are also promising. It tracks toward a worldwide opening weekend of over $900 million, the second-largest global opening ever, second only to the $1.22 billion opening of “Endgame.”
The preview numbers are estimates made by the studio and industry and can change. The official weekend numbers will be released on Sunday.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, “Brand New Day” is the fourth solo Spider-Man film with Tom Holland and his first appearance as Peter Parker since “No Way Home,” which was watched by over $1.9 billion worldwide. It stars Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Tramell Tillman, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Michael Mando.
“Brand New Day” is a collaboration between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios and produced by Amy Pascal. The film’s net production budget is estimated at around $225 million, excluding marketing.
Before the premiere, analysts anticipated a domestic opening within the range of $195 million to $280 million, and only some optimistic estimates suggested that the film could earn over $300 million. The high advance ticket sales, around $80 million, and Thursday previews starting at noon with almost 4,000 screens in the US and Canada boosted the number above expectations.
Positive reactions from early audiences can help keep ticket sales strong even after the weekend. The film premiered without IMAX screens in North America, where cinemas were still running Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
Take into account that ticket prices have increased compared to 2019, so fewer tickets need to be sold to earn the same gross.
This outcome gives Marvel Studios momentum before “Avengers: Doomsday,” scheduled for release in December.
