‘Spider-Man: No way home’ becomes first pandemic-era movie to smash $1 billion milestone globally

‘Spider-Man: No way home’ becomes first pandemic-era movie to smash $1 billion milestone globally

Peter Parker's good fortune carried right into the holiday weekend.  Even with some mighty competition from new "Matrix" and "Sing" movies, and rising concerns about the omicron variant, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" stayed in the No. 1 spot at the box office and crossed the $1 billion mark globally. According to studio estimates Sunday, "Spider-Man" added $81.5 million for 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." With $587.1 million from 61 overseas markets, "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 the second-fastest film ever to do so – and without the benefit of being released in China.  "Sing 2" came in second place with an estimated $23.8 million, while "The Matrix Resurrections" pulled in $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 being released Wednesday, the film has made $41 million ($1.6 million of that from Thanksgiving weekend showings) from North America and $65 million worldwide.  "We're extraordinarily pleased," says Jim Orr, Universal's president of domestic distribution. Orr says the movie's stellar CinemaScore grades (audiences gave it an A-plus) suggest the film will continue to perform well while kids are out of school for the holidays.  The fourth "Matrix" also opened Wednesday and has earned an estimated $22.5 million in its first five days in North America. The film, directed by Lana Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, is currently streaming on HBO Max as well. Globally, it's grossed $69.8 million to date. In fourth is "The King's Man," a prequel to the action-comedy "Kingsman" series starring Ralph Fiennes. It came in slightly under expectations with $10 million from its first five days. The audience skewed heavily male (65%).