Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse dominated the domestic box office king, earning $35.4 million during its first three days of release.
It’s not the biggest opening for an animated film this year, but it ranks as the best start for a cartoon in the month of December.
Illumination’s “Sing” previously held that title, debuting with $35 million in 2016.
“Spider-Verse,” based on Sony’s catalog of Marvel heroes, is resonating with a slightly older audience than most animated adventures. It also has plenty of time to make up ground during a holiday frame, though Warner Bros.’ “Aquaman” might cannibalize a bit of the superhero crowd.
Despite an influx of superhero titles that hit multiplexes this year, not to mention 2016’s Peter Parker feature “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and its sequel that bows next year, “Spider-Verse” was lauded for bringing a fresh take to the genre. It uses a mix of CGI and hand-drawn animation to bring the web-slinger to life.
“It pushes the boundaries of animation,” said Adrian Smith, Sony’s president of domestic distribution. “It plays to all audiences, and it’s really exciting because we’re positioned to play into the biggest week of the year — and there are eight days until we get to Christmas.”
Philip Lord and Christopher Miller produced “Spider-Verse,” which cost $90 million and takes place in a universe where more than one Spider-Man exists. Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), a Brooklynite with a Puerto Rican mom and an African American dad, puts on the Lycra-tights for this rendition.
Mahershala Ali, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, and John Mulaney round out the voice cast.
