Sony chief hails Spider-Man’s record opening as proof cinema endures
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Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman has hailed the record-breaking box office debut of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" as proof that cinema retains a unique power to unite audiences, following two years of pandemic and industry strike-related gloom about theatrical attendance. The Tom Holland-led superhero film's stunning opening has boosted confidence across Hollywood that big-screen releases remain commercially vital, coming amid what studios are calling the best cinema summer since the pandemic.
The film took $360 million domestically and $932 million globally in its opening weekend, marking the biggest domestic debut and second-biggest global debut in box office history, surpassing "Avengers: Endgame". Combined with Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey", it also produced the largest collective box office weekend ever recorded. In the same interview, Rothman discussed uncertainty over whether Holland will continue as Spider-Man, Sony's wider Marvel character ambitions, and confirmed that a planned Quentin Tarantino sequel centred on Brad Pitt's "Cliff Booth" character from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" ended up going to Netflix instead of Sony.
- "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" set the biggest domestic opening ever
- Global weekend takings hit $932 million, second-highest in history
- Sony boss Tom Rothman lost Tarantino's Cliff Booth sequel to Netflix
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Sony Pictures is the studio behind "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", starring Tom Holland as the web-slinging hero. Tom Rothman, the chairman of Sony Pictures, has spoken about the film's opening weekend performance and what it means for the wider film industry.
Cinemas have had a difficult few years, with attendance hit first by the coronavirus pandemic and later by strikes among Hollywood actors and writers that halted production and delayed releases. This has led to ongoing debate about whether audiences still want to watch films in cinemas rather than streaming them at home, and studios have been watching box office results closely for signs of recovery.
Box office takings, meaning the money a film earns from cinema ticket sales, are used across the industry as a measure of a film's popularity and financial success. Comparisons are often drawn with past record-holders, such as "Avengers: Endgame", to show how a new release stacks up historically.
More coverage
- Deadline — Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Ravi Ahuja Celebrates ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s “Historic Achievement” & “Bold Creative Choices”
- Push Square — Sony's New Spider-Man Movie Secures Biggest Domestic Box Office Debut in History
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Originally published by Variety as “‘Movies Aren’t Dead After All’: Sony Pictures Boss Tom Rothman on Historic ‘Spider-Man’ Box Office and Losing Tarantino’s Cliff Booth Sequel to Netflix”.