In a win for Sony and Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios, Spider-Man: Far From Home scored a sensational six-day launch of $185.1 million from 4,634 North American theaters, including a near-record $93.6 million over Fourth of July weekend. Globally, it now has amassed $580.1 million.
The only tentpole to have earned more over Independence Day weekend was Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011 ($97.9 million), not adjusted for inflation. Far From Home did, however, top Spider-Man 2 to boast the biggest six-day July Fourth debut of all time. It also is Sony’s best six-day opening ever.
Overseas, the pic earned another $238 million for a foreign total of $395 million (it opened early in China, Japan and Hong Kong). China added $30.6 million for a total there of $167.4 million. Among new markets, South Korea led with a strong $33.8 million, followed by the U.K. with $17.8 million, Mexico with $13.9 million and Australia with $11.9 million. Overall, the film is pacing 46 percent of Spider Man: Homecoming.
Far From Home’s better-than-expected performance is welcome news for the struggling box office, where a number of summer franchises’ installments have lagged.
That wasn’t the case for Far From Home. The superhero pic came in well ahead of the $117 million, three-day bow of its immediate predecessor, 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Both that film and Far From Home were made by Sony in partnership with the Disney-owned Marvel.
Far From Home picks up after the events of Marvel and Disney’s blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, as Tom Holland’s Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) and Samuel Jackson’s Nick Fury adjust to a world without Iron Man and other key Avengers to defend it. It also is the last chapter in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In addition to Endgame, Far From Home was buoyed by glowing reviews and exit scores, as well as an A CinemaScore. Males made up 57 percent of ticket buyers, while 31 percent of the audience was between the ages 18 and 24, according to PostTrak. The film also is playing in a record number of theaters for the month of July.
Holding steady at No. 2 was Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 4, now in its third outing. The tentpole grossed a stellar $34.3 million for the weekend as it sailed past the $300 million mark domestically to clear $650 million in worldwide ticket sales.
Universal and Working Title’s Yesterday came in third with a weekend tally of $10.8 million, a narrow 37 percent decline from its opening. The song-filled romantic comedy’s 10-day domestic cume is $36.9 million, while its global total stands at $57 million.
Annabelle Comes Home came in fourth with a sophomore weekend gross of $9.8 million. The supernatural horror film has earned $50.2 million domestically to date for a worldwide total of $134.8 million.
(Excerpt) Read more in: The Hollywood Reporter
