In recent weeks, headlines have not been too positive where superhero movies are concerned. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been performing well following a slower-than-expected start in early May, The Flash has gotten a lot of negative press for being the third straight disappointment from DC Studios following the release of Black Adam and Shazam! Fury Of The Gods. The genre is very much in need of some positivity right now... and the good news is that's easy to do thanks to the impressive run that Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is presently on.
It took surprisingly little time for the animated hit to outgross its 2018 predecessor, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, but now the successful sequel has hit a major milestone: it has now made half a billion dollars worldwide. Variety is reporting that the film has hit the $500 million mark 20 days after its release, and it's just the fourth American feature to do so in 2023 after The Super Mario Bros. Movie (which has made $1.3 billion to date), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($821.4 million) and Fast X ($695.9). Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is presently the sixth highest grossing blockbuster of the year.
Despite earning near-universal critical acclaim (ultimately winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Film), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wasn't able to reach $500 million during its theatrical release, but that was arguably because of the tremendous box office competition it faced during the holiday season in 2018 (movie fans will remember that as a stretch of time when Hollywood also released Aquaman, Mary Poppins Returns, Ralph Breaks The Internet, Creed II and Bumblebee). Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse has also come out during a busy time for blockbusters – arriving in cinemas following a dominant performance by The Little Mermaid during the Memorial Day holiday – but the sequel has had the advantage of building on the clout of the Miles Morales origin feature. As such, it has already grossed approximately $115 million more globally, and it's still going.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse remains a major presence in the weekend top 10, having placed third behind The Flash and Elemental on the domestic charts this past Sunday. It made $120.7 million in its opening weekend at the start of June (the second best opening weekend of 2023 thus far), and its week-to-week drops have been modest. At the current rate, the film should definitely rank as one of the biggest hits of year.
Of course, all of that success means that there is a great deal of excitement in the air for Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse, which will first and foremost have the assignment of satisfying the exciting cliffhanger featured at the end of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. As of right now, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse's release date is penciled in for a March 29, 2024, and fans around the world are counting down the days until its arrival.
