“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has swung to the top of the Chinese box office, delivering Hollywood its strongest superhero opening in the market in years. The film’s impressive debut has revived hopes for U.S. studios in a territory where comic-book films have struggled in recent years, reaffirming Spider-Man’s enduring appeal among Chinese audiences.
Sony Pictures’ latest superhero spectacle topped the mainland China box office during the July 31-Aug. 2 weekend, collecting RMB 463.5 million ($68.1 million) in its three-day opening frame, according to Artisan Gateway. In its first five days, the film grossed $121.3 million, with $19 million coming from IMAX alone, making it the highest-grossing IMAX opening weekend in the Spider-Man franchise in China.
The film opened across China on Wednesday at a pace the market has not seen for a U.S. superhero film in at least seven years. It earned more than $16.5 million by midday, with local ticketing platform Maoyan projecting a first-day total of $37.4 million. No other superhero title has reached those numbers since “Spider-Man: Far From Home” opened with $36 million on its first day in 2019. Presales also reflected the growing anticipation, finishing at $18.6 million, the highest for any imported film over the past three summers.
The strong performance is particularly significant given Hollywood’s recent struggles in China. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” remains the last U.S. superhero film to cross the $100 million mark in the country, eventually earning $199 million. Its successor, “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, despite becoming a global blockbuster, was never released in China after local regulators reportedly objected to the prominence of the Statue of Liberty in the film’s climax, with Sony declining to make the requested changes.
Sony and Marvel appeared to court the Chinese market carefully for “Brand New Day”. China received the film’s earliest global release, two days ahead of North America, along with an exclusive IMAX launch unavailable in the United States.
Tom Holland and Zendaya also travelled to Shanghai for the local premiere, where Holland spoke about Jackie Chan’s visit to the film’s London set and the reported involvement of Chan’s stunt team in choreographing some of the action sequences.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” picks up four years after the events of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, following a forgotten Peter Parker as he protects New York alone, as the weight of that responsibility begins to take its toll. The film has also received strong reviews, with its Rotten Tomatoes score hovering around 90 per cent.
Chinese box office trackers are now forecasting an equally strong theatrical run. Maoyan has projected a lifetime gross of $255 million, while rival tracker Dengta estimates the film could earn more than $265 million. If those projections hold, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” would become Hollywood’s biggest box office success in China since “Avengers: Endgame”, surpassing even “Avatar: The Way of Water”. Analysts are also projecting a North American opening of around $180 million and a global debut exceeding $425 million.
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