Spider-Man: Brand New Day has made a historic debut at the North American box office, setting a new record for the biggest domestic opening day in cinema history.
The latest instalment in Sony’s Spider-Man franchise pulled in an impressive $168 million from 4,487 theatres across North America on Friday, surpassing the previous opening-day record of $157 million set by Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
Sony projects the superhero film will earn $325 million by the end of its opening weekend, while some industry analysts believe it could reach as much as $358 million, which would see it overtake Avengers: Endgame’s $357 million record for the highest domestic opening weekend ever.
Currently, Spider-Man: No Way Home ranks second on the all-time domestic opening weekend list with $260 million, followed by Avengers: Infinity War with $257 million, while Star Wars: The Force Awakens sits fourth with $247 million.
The new film follows Peter Parker as he adjusts to a world where nobody remembers his identity after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Forced to operate without the support of those closest to him, including MJ, played by Zendaya, and his best friend Ned, portrayed by Jacob Batalon, Peter faces fresh challenges as Spider-Man.
Tom Holland reprises his role as the web-slinging superhero, joined by a cast that includes Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Liza Colón-Zayas and Tramell Tillman.
Meanwhile, The Odyssey claimed second place at the Friday box office, earning $14.5 million as it entered its third weekend in cinemas. The epic is projected to gross $51 million over the weekend, taking its domestic total to $395 million.
Toy Story 5 finished third after generating $1.8 million on Friday and is expected to reach $461 million domestically by the end of its fourth weekend.
Minions & Monsters secured fourth place with $1.66 million on Friday and is on track to reach $168 million in total domestic earnings after five weeks in theatres.
Rounding out the top five was Moana, which earned $1.6 million on Friday and is expected to finish the weekend with a domestic total of $114 million after four weekends on release.
