THE hit new Spider-Man became the first billion-dollar-grossing film of the pandemic era over the Christmas weekend, reaching the milestone while holding firmly to the North American box-office top spot, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said yesterday.

Spider-Man: No Way Home, British star Tom Holland’s third solo outing in the wildly popular role, has grossed US$467.3 million (RM1.96 billion) in North America and US$587 million internationally, raking in more than US$1 billion over 12 days and proving analysts’ predictions that it could reach the milestone sum. 

It rocketed to that benchmark at a speed only matched by 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, according to industry outlet Variety, and comes even as the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant casts a pall over holiday outings worldwide.

Sony’s latest instalment to the comic-inspired series took an estimated US$81.5 million in North America for the three-day period over the Christmas weekend, holding its top spot after scoring the third-biggest domestic opening of all time with more than US$260 million, smashing early estimates. 

Its debut box-office sales trailed only 2019’s Avengers: Endgame (US$357 million) and the previous year’s Avengers: Infinity War (US$258 million), according to the BoxOfficeMojo website.

With an estimated US$23.8 million, Sing 2, Universal’s star-studded animated jukebox musical follow-up to Sing, was this weekend’s runner-up.

It beat out two other new series instalments: The Matrix Resurrections from Warner Bros, which sees Keanu Reeves reprise his iconic role as Neo, underperformed at US$12 million.

In fourth place, also earning less than expected, was 20th Century’s spy prequel to the Kingsman films, The King’s Man, with US$6.4 million. 

Lionsgate’s American Underdog – based on the true story of Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a grocery store to National Football League MVP – slid in at number five on its opening weekend with an estimated US$6.2 million. 

Rounding out the top 10 were:

West Side Story (US$2.8 million)

Licorice Pizza (US$2.3 million)

A Journal for Jordan (US$2.2 million)

Encanto (US$2 million)

83 (US$1.8 million). – AFP, December 27, 2021.