Spider-Man: Far From Home got off to a swinging good start at the box office, earning $185 million over six days, Box Office Mojo is reporting. That placed the summer sequel exactly where tracking had it, and should be enough to keep it going strong until The Lion King opens in two weeks and devours everything in its path.
Far From Home served as the first Marvel movie to arrive since Endgame opened in April, and anyone trying to write Spidey off as a “disappointment” because it didn’t pull in those kind of numbers should note that the film is doing exactly as it should be expected to. This was never going to pull in Avengers-level crowds, and Far From Home has already surpassed Us to become the fifth highest grossing movie of the year so far. After the more somber Endgame, marketing for Far From Home promised a more “traditional” Marvel adventure, and audiences and critics both responded positively. Unless it shows terrible legs, Far From Home should easily be able to surpass $300 million before the end of its run.
And speaking of the $300 million mark, Toy Story 4 crossed it during its third weekend of release, bringing its total to $305 million. Again, as with Far From Home, some people are simply making unfair comparisons here, with claims that Buzz and Woody’s latest is “underwhelming” at the box office because it’s not as big as last year’s Incredibles 2. That superhero movie had 14 years of fanboy hype to back it up, and was also a first sequel, whereas Toy Story 4 is its franchises’s fourth installment. That’s going to have an impact on financial returns, but even then, the movie is still outperforming Toy Story 3, and has a good chance at becoming the highest grossing film in the series. In other words, like Far From Home, it’s earning just as much–if not more–money as can reasonably be hoped for. Toy Story 4 is the third highest grossing film of the year so far as well.
Still in the top five is Aladdin, which is behaving like The Greatest Showman in terms of staying power. Musicals have a capability for legs when audiences are enjoying them, and Will Smith is providing the extra boost of star power in the kind of comedic role that his fans like to see him in. Aladdin has $320 million so far, which is about $100 million more than many thought it would make. Even better? It’s international numbers are terrific, as the film surpassed the $900 million mark globally this weekend. And it still has several days to go before The Lion King comes along.
Final figures are due this evening.