Tom Holland and Zendaya share another box-office hit as ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ makes history on the heels of ‘The Odyssey’

Tom Holland and Zendaya continue their winning streak with the blockbuster superhero film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which made box office history in its opening weekend. The movie grossed an astounding $355 million in North American ticket sales, coming just a few million short of the record set by "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019.

Holland's third Spider-Man standalone film, "No Way Home," earned over $1.9 billion worldwide, becoming the eighth highest-grossing movie of all time. The success of "Brand New Day" follows another major release featuring Holland and Zendaya, Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," which debuted in second place during its third weekend in theaters, earning $51 million.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" opened with a record $168 million in ticket sales from 4,487 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, surpassing "Avengers: Endgame's" $157 million Friday opening. The studio had predicted a $325 million opening weekend, which would still have beaten the second-place record. "Brand New Day" outperformed its predecessor, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which opened to $260 million in December 2021.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film was produced for a reported $225 million, not including marketing expenses, and faced concerns about attracting a mass audience. However, the movie garnered strong reviews from critics and audiences, boasting a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A" CinemaScore from audiences. The majority of ticket buyers were male (about 61%) and young, with more than half of the audience being under the age of 25, with 36% between the ages of 18 and 24, and 27% between the ages of 25 and 34.

Despite the concerns about the decline of superhero movies, "Brand New Day" and other recent releases like "Obsession," "Backrooms," and "The Drama" have reignited interest among younger audiences, bringing back successful hits to theaters.