Spider-Man has swung his way into Australian cinema record books by claiming the biggest opening weekend in 2026.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day brought in $30.4 million on its debut weekend and attracted over 1.8 million fans into cinemas from Thursday, July 30, to Sunday, August 2, the film’s distributor, HOYTS, reports.
The film earned $6.3 million on its opening day which made it the biggest Thursday opening since Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021.
It has also achieved the second-biggest opening weekend in history, trailing only the $34.1m for the four-day opening of Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
The movie, starring Tom Holland and wife Zendaya, is the first Hollywood blockbuster to deliver a 270-degree panoramic viewing perspective.
(Holland and Zendaya also starred in the latest adaptation of the ancient Greek fable The Odyssey which also proved a smash at the Aussie box office: click here for that story)
HOYTS Group President and CEO Damian Keogh says the movie is on course to become one of the biggest releases of the year.
“It’s remarkable to see so many movie fans flock to cinemas to experience Marvel’s latest blockbuster,” he says.
“Audiences are looking for more than just a movie,” he claims. “They want an experience and our premium cinema formats (SCREENX, HOYTS APEX and D-BOX) transforms blockbuster releases into unforgettable, immersive events.”
He says the film’s format has generated “exceptional interest” across their SCREENX network with strong admissions to cinemas at Blacktown, Melbourne Central and Sydney’s Broadway.”
SPIDER-MAN’S WORLDWIDE SMASH
The movie officially crossed the US$1 (A$1.42) billion mark at the global box office after just six days in theatres, making it the second-fastest movie ever to reach the milestone, say multiple media reports.
Only Avengers: Endgame got there faster, earning US$1.2 (A$1.7) billion worldwide during its opening weekend.
The movie also posted the highest-grossing opening day and biggest Thursday preview haul in US box office history, according to Yahoo.com.
It also became the fastest film to pass US$400 (A$567) million at the North American box office and delivered the highest-grossing Monday ever with US$47 (A$66) million, topping the previous record held by 2018’s film, Black Panther.
