Just hours before its official theatrical release, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had a strong start at the box office, and is reported to have beaten its predecessor in terms of early access earnings.
The Spidey sequel earned around $16 million thanks to previews alone. This is four and a half times more than what Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse received back in 2018. Advanced screenings for the film began in the early afternoon in over 3000 theaters across the country, and it will be interesting to see how it performs during its domestic opening.
It was also reported that Across the Spider-Verse‘s numbers have toppled over Disney’s record for Toy Story 4 with $12 million, but was short of beating the The Incredibles 2‘s $18.5 million, making Across the Spider-Verse the third-best previewed animated movie at the domestic box office.
Variety reported that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is predicted to hit $80 million at the box office during its domestic weekend. This is $45 million more than what Into the Spider-Verse earned during its domestic opening, but these numbers could change once the film officially comes out.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the first part of the highly anticipated two-part sequel to Into the Spider-Verse, with reports of over 240 characters will be in the movie. The film will test Miles Morales, played by Shameik Moore, as he redefines what it takes to be Spider-Man and chooses between his family and the world. The film currently received a certified fresh rating by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 95 percent. Meanwhile, fans gave it an average score of 97 percent.