Peter Parker’s good fortune continued over the holiday weekend. Even with some mighty competition from new Matrix and Sing movies, and rising concerns over the omicron variant, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” stayed in the No. It remained at the No.1 spot, and it also achieved a number of milestones including reaching $1 billion worldwide.
According to studio estimates Sunday “Spider-Man” added $81.5 million over the three-day weekend, down 69% from its first weekend. The Sony and Marvel film has now grossed $467 million from North American theaters, more than doubling the domestic grosses of 2021′s previous No. 1 film, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
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With $587.1 million from 61 overseas markets, in just 12 days of release, “Spider-Man” has grossed $1.05 billion globally, making it the highest earner of the pandemic. It’s the first film of the pandemic to cross $1 billion and is tied with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for being the third-fastest film ever to do so — and this without the benefit of its release in China.
Universal’s “Sing 2” came in second place with an estimated $23.8 million, while Warner Bros.’ “The Matrix Resurrections” grossed $12 million to take third place.
The animated musical “Sing 2” features high-profile celebrity talent including Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon and Bono, as well as a jukebox soundtrack full of well-known hits. Since its release Wednesday, it’s made $41 million ($1.6 million of that came from Thanksgiving weekend showings) from North America and $65 million worldwide.
“We’re extraordinarily pleased,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution.
Orr noted that the movie’s CinemaScore (A+), as well as the feedback from the audiences, suggest that it will continue to do well during this time of year when most kids won’t be in school.
On Wednesday, the fourth Matrix opened in North America. It has already earned $22.5 million over its five-day run. Lana Wachowski, Carrie Anne Moss, and Keanu Reeves star in the movie. It is streaming now on HBO Max. Globally, it’s grossed $69.8 million to date.
And in fourth is Disney and 20th Century’s “The King’s Man,” a prequel to the action-comedy Kingsman series starring Ralph Fiennes. With $10 million collected in the first five days of production, it came in just short of expectations. It was dominated by men (65%).
The Kurt Warner biopic “American Underdog” opened on Christmas Day and has made an estimated $6.2 million in its two days in release. Zachary Levi plays Warner, the Hall of Fame quarterback.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” expanded nationwide on Christmas, after playing in limited release for a month, and added $2.3 million bringing its total to $3.7 million.
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Follow Lindsey Bahr (AP Film Writer) on Twitter http://twitter.com/ldbahr
