Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse becomes Sony’s highest-grossing animated film, surpasses predecessor

The Spider-Man film series has become a true box office goldmine for Sony, with a cumulative worldwide gross of approximately $8.5 billion over the span of ten films, according to Movieweb. This figure doesn't even account for the additional $1.5 billion generated by the accompanying Sony Spider-Man Universe films. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Sony initially acquired the film rights to Spider-Man from Marvel Entertainment for a mere $7 million in 1998. 

Continued Success with "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse":

The release of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" has continued Sony's incredible run of success with the Spider-Man film series. As the second animated Spider-Man film and the second installment featuring Miles Morales as the lead character, it has been met with widespread acclaim. 

Box Office Performance and Growth:

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," released in 2018, grossed approximately $384 million worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing film in the series. However, its box office performance was driven by positive word of mouth, with a modest domestic opening weekend gross of $35.3 million. The film gained momentum and showcased resilience by reversing its downward trend, ultimately benefiting from glowing reviews from audiences and critics.

According to Variety, "Across the Spider-Verse" has achieved a domestic total of $226 million and a global total of $390 million. This remarkable performance not only establishes the Spider-Verse sequel as Sony's highest-grossing animated release to date but also surpasses the entire box office earnings of "Into the Spider-Verse." The original film concluded its theatrical run with a domestic haul of $190 million and a global total of $384 million. In just its second weekend, "Across the Spider-Verse" contributed an additional $55 million to its overall box office haul.

In contrast, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" opened with an impressive domestic gross of $120.6 million, surpassing studio projections. Its international opening weekend gross of $87.9 million, including a strong showing of $17.3 million in China, contributed to a worldwide opening weekend gross of approximately $208.5 million. These figures position "Across the Spider-Verse" to potentially reach a final domestic box office gross of at least $360 million and a worldwide gross of at least $700 million.

Awards Prospects:

The unanimous praise bestowed upon "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" suggests it is a strong contender for an Academy Award nomination in the Best Animated Feature category, following in the footsteps of its Oscar-winning predecessor. The film's path to profitability has become evident within two weeks of its theatrical release, indicating its potential for long-term success.

The Spider-Man film series has been an unparalleled success for Sony, amassing billions of dollars at the global box office. From an initial investment of $7 million for the film rights to Spider-Man, Sony's return on investment has been nothing short of spectacular.