In a time when movies have struggled to scoop up money from theatrical runs, Spider-Man: No Way Home has proven to be the exception to the rule. Tom Holland’s third Spider-Man movie, and sixth outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall, has had a box office run so impressive, it would be a big deal even if movie theaters weren’t still dealing with the pandemic. Now No Way Home can add another milestone to its list of accomplishments: making more money domestically than Avatar.
Until February 14, Avatar was the third highest-grossing domestic movie of all time with a $749.766 million haul in the United States and Canada. Well, James Cameron’s 2009 movie has moved to fourth place, and as shared by Sony Pictures, Spider-Man: No Way Home now holds the bronze with $760.988 million. The Web-Slinger’s latest live-action outing now only trails in this category behind Avengers: Endgame at $858.373 million and Star Wars: The Force Awakens at $936.662 million.
Given that it’s been almost exactly two months since Spider-Man: No Way Home opened in theaters and it will soon be available on home media, it’s unlikely the threequel will manage to edge its way to being the second highest-grossing domestic movie, let alone hit #1 (though if it eventually gets a release in China, that could drastically shift the odds). Still, overtaking Avatar is no small feat, so the No Way Home cast and crew deserve a pat on the back. That said, let’s not rule out the possibility that the sci-fi movie could score another theatrical run ahead of Avatar 2’s release, in which case No Way Home could end up dropping back to fourth place.
As far as global box office standings go, although Avatar was dethroned from first place by Avengers: Endgame for a spell, it’s back to being #1 thanks to a theatrical rerelease in China in 2021, bringing its total to $2.847 billion. Spider-Man: No Way Home sits at sixth place with $1.805 billion, trailing behind Avengers: Infinity War and ahead of Jurassic World. No Way Home’s new domestic achievement comes less than a week after it was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards.
Although Spider-Man: No Way Home marked the end of an era for this incarnation of this Peter Parker, despite his new MCU status, it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of him. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said that Sony and Disney are actively developing a fourth movie in this Spider-Man film series, and naturally we’ll keep you apprised on that project’s development. Luckily for those of you eager for more Spider-Man action on the big screen, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) is set for release in October, with the official title and first footage having been revealed early last December.
In the meantime, Tom Holland can next be seen playing Nathan Drake in Uncharted starting February 18. MCU fans are also welcome to look through our lineup of upcoming Marvel movies to see what else this superhero franchise is priming for the silver screen.
