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Following its spectacular premiere at Ster-Kinekor Eastgate, the latest instalment in the Spider-Man franchise achieved a record R44m-plus at the local box office, marking the biggest opening weekend ever recorded in South African cinema, according to Sony Pictures South Africa.
Ster-Kinekor reported near-capacity cinemas throughout the weekend, with its national screens reaching an impressive 90% occupancy on Saturday.
The response places Spider-Man: Brand New Day among one of the most successful theatrical launches ever seen in the local market and highlights a renewed appetite for blockbuster experiences on the big screen.
A superhero-sized debut breaks franchise records
The film’s opening day alone generated R9,65m at the box office, surpassing the southern African opening day record previously held by Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
Over its first weekend, Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned R35,9m, more than doubling the opening weekend performance of its predecessor and setting a new benchmark for the Spider-Man franchise in South Africa.
The film’s success was mirrored internationally, where it earned $927m during the same opening weekend period, making it the second-biggest global opening weekend of all time behind Avengers: Endgame, which achieved a $1,2bn debut.
Blockbusters bring audiences back to cinemas
According to Ster-Kinekor chief marketing officer Lynne Wylie, the film’s performance reflects a growing return to cinemas for major theatrical releases.
“The impressive Spider-Man: Brand New Day opening weekend figures are a clear demonstration that South Africans are returning to watch blockbuster films in cinema in meaningful numbers,” Wylie said, adding that audiences are once again embracing the shared experience of seeing major releases on the biggest screens.
The momentum follows another major cinema milestone for Ster-Kinekor, with The Odyssey recently achieving the biggest Imax opening weekend in the theatre group’s history across its nine Imax locations nationwide.
Together, the two releases demonstrate the continued demand for premium cinema experiences, particularly for large-scale productions designed for the big screen.
The next wave of cinema spectacles is already on the way
The momentum is set to continue, with audiences already looking ahead to major franchise releases. Avengers: Endgame Encore arrives in cinemas on 25 September with seven minutes of previously unreleased footage, ahead of Avengers: Doomsday’s December release.
With a strong lineup of blockbuster titles, including Dune: Chapter 3, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and Children of Blood and Bone, heading to cinemas in the coming months, Spider-Man: Brand New Day signals a renewed appetite for the big-screen experience.
