“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” flew to an impressive $3.5 million at 3,321 North American locations on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, MRC-Universal Pictures’ “Mortal Engines” grossed $675,000 in previews from 2,600 theaters.
Sony’s animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which expands to 3,813 sites Friday, should handily win the weekend’s box office. The studio has been forecasting $30 million at 3,813 North American venues while rivals contend that early buzz could lift its start to north of $39 million.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is Sony’s seventh movie version Marvel’s webslinger. The new iteration spotlights Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), a half-Puerto Rican and half-African-American teenager from Brooklyn who is bitten by a genetically modified spider. He develops spider-like abilities and begins discovering an alternative universe where more than one Spider-Man exists.
The “Spider-Verse” voice cast includes Mahershala Ali, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, and John Mulaney. The film received a Golden Globe nomination for best animated feature and boasts an impressive 98% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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“Spider-Verse” is directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, the screenplay is by Phil Lord and Rothman from a story by Phil Lord based on the Marvel Comics. Sony has already announced the development of a sequel and spinoffs set in the shared multiverse.
The six “Spider-Man” movies have generated $4.9 billion in worldwide grosses. Last year’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” starring Tom Holland, grossed $880 million globally and a sequel will bow next year. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” carries a $90 million budget.
The openings of Universal’s “Mortal Engines,” and Warner Bros.’ “The Mule” are going to battle for second place with forecasts in the $10 million to $15 million range. The launches are taking place two days after the 2018 North American box office — which racked up records in February, April, June and October — topped the $11 billion mark, according to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore.
“This is the weekend that the 2018 Holiday movie season starts in earnest and with three high profile wide release titles set to jump start the marketplace after a rather fallow period over the past two weeks, a year that has been consistently running at record pace and hit $11 billion in record time will rev up for a huge final push that should deliver the biggest box office year in history,” he said. “However, comparisons to the same weekend a year ago will be extraordinarily tough thanks to one of the biggest overall weekends of 2017 when ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ opened with an otherworldly $220 million.”
“Mortal Engines” is a dystopian science-fiction story from “Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” filmmaker Peter Jackson. It’s set in a world where motorized cities prey on each other. It’s opening at 3,103 North American sites and holds an unenthusiastic 30% average on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has already begun its rollout in 43 international territories, including Korea, Russia, Australia, where it’s earned $20.1 million.
Warner Bros. is opening “The Mule” at 2,588 venues and targeting the older crowd with “The Mule,” Clint Eastwood’s latest undertaking about a nonagenarian who gets caught smuggling cocaine for the cartel. Reviews have been more positive than negative with a 64% Rotten Tomatoes score.