Thwip-ing its way strongly into the holiday break,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versewebbed up a solid $35.4 million in its debut weekend, the strongest opening ever for an animated film in December. Warner Bros.‘Aquamanlooms on the horizon next week to distract the comic book crowd, butInto the Spider-Verse—which cost a reported $90 million to make—should be in for a good Christmas-time run, bolstered by an A+ Cinemascore and an audience made up of families.
Directed byBob Persichetti,Rodney Rothman, andPeter Ramsey,Into the Spider-VersestarsShameik Mooreas Miles Morales, the first half-African American, half-Puerto Rican character to lead a superhero film.
Meanwhile,Clint Eastwood’sThe Muleplodded along to a strong $17 million, the third best wide opening for anEastwood-directed filmbehind 2016’sSullyand 2000’sSpace Cowboy. Eastwood also stars as the real-life ninety-year-old drug-runner Earl Stone, in the actor’s first on-screen role sinceTrouble With the Curvein 2012. Shockingly (not shockingly) more than half of The Mule’s opening weekend audience was over the age of 50.
DirectorChristian Rivers’ steampunk epicMortal Engineshas already lost its momentum, sputtering out of the gate in fifth place with $7.5 million. Produced byLord of the RingsfilmmakerPeter Jackson, the film depicts a post-apocalyptic world in which major cities have been transformed into massive moving vehicles. Unfortunately, putting London up on a set of wheels ain’t cheap, as the film cost a reported $100 million to produce. Normally, a movie like Mortal Engines could have hope in the worldwide box office but, again,Aquamanhas already speared a massive $200 million overseas.
At the specialty box office, Larry Jenkins' lush romanceIf Beale Street Could Talkruled the weekend, opening on four screens for a per-theater average of $54,796.
Check out the weekend’s top 10 estimates below, and be back here next week to see Aquaman do undersea battle withMary Poppins Returns.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
$35,400,000
$34,400,000
$17,210,000
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch
$11,580,000
$239,288,710
Ralph Breaks the Internet
$9,589,000
$154,464,878
Mortal Engines
$7,501,000
$5,398,830
$104,882,976
Bohemian Rhapsody
$4,125,000
$180,423,200
Instant Family
$3,720,000
$60,218,054
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
$3,650,000
$151,653,410
Green Book
$2,780,000
$24,660,366
