Spider-Man: Brand New Day has posted the best opening day ever in North America. On Friday, the new Marvel film earned $168 million in 4,487 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to Variety. That puts Avengers: Endgame in second place. The superhero spectacle had launched with $157 million in 2019 and had held the record ever since.
The record run may not be over yet. The studio Sony says it expects Brand New Day to reach $325 million by Sunday. Competing industry estimates even predict up to $358 million. If that mark falls, it would be the most successful opening weekend ever recorded by a film in North America.
This Record Is Also in Jeopardy
Avengers: Endgame also currently leads that list with $357 million in its first three days. It's followed by Spider-Man: No Way Home from 2021 with $260 million, just ahead of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) with $257 million. In fourth place is Star Wars: Das Erwachen der Macht from 2015 with $247 million.
A Hero No One Remembers Anymore
Narratively, the film delivers on the promise that No Way Home made at the end. There, Peter Parker (Tom Holland, 30) had Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, 50) erase all of humanity's memory of him to protect his loved ones. Now he's paying the price. Holland's Spider-Man has to get by without his closest allies, because neither his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya, 29) nor his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon, 29) have any idea who's behind the mask.
For this fresh start, Sony has significantly revamped the ensemble. Alongside Holland, the cast includes Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Tramell Tillman, among others.
Die Odyssee in Second Place
The competition was left with scraps on Friday. Die Odyssee earned $14.5 million, landing in second place. The ancient epic was already entering its third weekend in North America.
Another $51 million is expected to be added by Sunday, a decline of 43 percent from the previous week. That would bring the film's total North American gross to $395 million. Worldwide, Christopher Nolan's film has earned around $722 million so far.
