'Spider-Man' Returns to the Top of the Box Office Charts
by EG
In its fourth week of release, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was once again the top movie in American theaters. That's testimony to both the strength of the hit animated movie and the weakness of recent flops The Flash and Pixar's Elemental. Those big-budget movies have performed well below expectations, leaving plenty of room for the well-received Spider-Man movie to take up the slack. Read on for details.
In a box office upset, Sony holdover Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse edged out Pixar’s Elemental to win the weekend all the way in its fourth outing. Rarely does a film reclaim the top spot like that amid fierce summer competition.
Spidey took in an estimated $19.3 million as it raced past the $300 million mark domestically to finish Sunday with a North American total of $317.1 million and an impressive $560.3 million worldwide.
Elemental took in an estimated $18.5 million upon falling only 39 percent in its second weekend, a strong hold after suffering the worst start in the modern history of Pixar. The film’s hold means it’s being helped by strong word of mouth. The pic’s domestic 10-day total is $65.5 million. Overseas, it earned $31.3 million as it expanded into a total of 40 markets for a foreign tally of $55.6 million and $121.1 million. The Disney/Pixar release has numerous major markets left in which to open, and continued to shine in territories including South Korea, Argentina and the Philippines, where it is already the top-grossing film of 2023.
The news for DC and Warner Bros.’ big-budget superhero pic The Flash -- which opened last weekend opposite Elemental to a sobering $55.1 million -- grew worse as it fell off 72 percent to $15.3 million for a domestic cume of $87.6 million. Unlike Elemental, The Flash received poor exit scores. (The studio had hoped for a decline of 55 percent.) Insiders concede the film, starring Ezra Miller, is a huge miss and is being rejected by audiences on a wholesale basis.
Miller was arrested multiple times last year, culminating in the actor issuing a statement in August 2022 apologizing for their behavior and saying they would receive help for “complex mental health issues.” Miller did no press for The Flash in the months leading up to the pic’s release aside from walking the red carpet at the film’s Los Angeles premiere and making brief remarks.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.