Tom Holland’s fourth outing as Spider-Man has done what no film in eleven years could manage: it has dethroned Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the highest-grossing movie ever released in North America. And the wave did not stop at American shores — Pakistani cinemas gave the wall-crawler a historic welcome of their own.
The Record That Took Eleven Years to Fall
The number stood untouched for over a decade. When Star Wars: The Force Awakens finished its run in 2016 with $936.66 million at the domestic box office, the figure survived a pandemic, the streaming boom and a dozen would-be challengers. Through it all, it remained the highest a film had ever climbed at the North American box office, unadjusted for inflation.
Then came Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Forty-seven days into its theatrical run, Spider-Man: Brand New Day slipped quietly past the mark, closing at $936.77 million — beating the old record by roughly $110,000, a margin that would barely cover a modest opening-night’s worth of popcorn against a record that took eleven years to fall. Sony made it official the next morning: the biggest movie in the history of the United States and Canadian box office is now a Spider-Man film.
The climb has continued since. Trackers now put the film at around $955 million domestically, making it the first movie in history to cross the $950 million mark in North America — and the first film of the decade to sell more than 70 million tickets on home soil.
A Run Full of Milestones
The signs were there from the very first weekend. Released on July 31, the film opened to about $360 million in North America, edging past Avengers: Endgame‘s $357.1 million for the biggest opening weekend ever. It also set the record for the biggest opening day ($169 million) and the biggest preview haul of all time ($72 million).
After that, records fell in bunches. It became the fastest film ever to cross $800 million domestically, doing it in 19 days compared with 23 for The Force Awakens, and the fastest to $900 million — 36 days against 50 for the Star Wars blockbuster. It is only the second film ever to pass $900 million in North America.
Worldwide, the film has collected roughly $2.5 billion, making it the third-biggest film of all time behind Avatar ($2.9 billion) and Avengers: Endgame ($2.8 billion). It is now Sony’s highest-grossing release of all time — ahead of Spider-Man: No Way Home — the highest-grossing Spider-Man film ever, the highest-grossing solo superhero movie ever, and the highest-grossing film of 2026. Critics have been largely kind too, with the film holding a 90 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A grade from CinemaScore exit polls.
Pakistan Could Not Resist the Wall-Crawler
Few territories embraced the film as enthusiastically as Pakistan. Released in Pakistani cinemas on the same July 31 date as the rest of the world, it shattered the record for the biggest opening weekend of any film ever released in the country, earning PKR 25 crore in just three days. To put that in perspective, the previous domestic record belonged to Aag Lagay Basti Mein, which had managed PKR 16.2 crore over Eid-ul-Fitr weekend earlier this year.
The momentum only grew. In just 21 days, the film grossed PKR 76 crore in Pakistan, becoming the highest-grossing foreign film of all time in the country — beating the lifetime business of Sardaar Ji 3 — and the second-highest grossing film ever at the Pakistani box office, behind only The Legend of Maula Jatt. Box office trackers also rank it the number one MPA title of all time in Pakistan.
Most cinemas devoted nearly all their screens to the blockbuster in its opening weeks, and audiences kept coming. Family crowds, millennials and Gen Z viewers turned out in force, giving Pakistan one of the most remarkable cinema runs in its history — proof of how large and passionate the country’s moviegoing audience has become.
Why This Spider-Man Connected
Part of the magic lies in how the film was pitched. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton of Shang-Chi fame, taking over from trilogy veteran Jon Watts, the story picks up four years after No Way Home. Peter Parker is completely alone: the world has forgotten who he is, and he fights crime full-time as Spider-Man in a New York that no longer knows his name. A dangerous physical transformation and an unseen new threat force him to evolve in ways fans had not seen before.
Holland is joined by returning faces Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, alongside major additions including Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal debuting as the Punisher, Florence Pugh, Mark Ruffalo, Tramell Tillman and Marisa Tomei. Reviewers have praised Holland’s performance, the action sequences and a more mature, character-driven story — a deliberately smaller, more personal film than the multiverse spectacle of No Way Home, which appears to have made it land harder with audiences.
It is also a badly needed win for Marvel Studios, which endured a rough 2025 at the box office, and a further signal that crowds still turn out in enormous numbers for the right superhero movie.
The Run Is Not Over Yet
Sony and exhibitors have reportedly agreed to extend the film’s exclusive theatrical run through November 16 — a 108-day run that would make it the longest-running Spider-Man film in cinemas — pushing the planned streaming debut back. The studio confirmed a digital buy-and-rent release from October 6, with 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD editions arriving December 15, while a Netflix streaming date under Sony’s pay-one agreement has not yet been announced.
The one milestone that may stay out of reach is $1 billion at the domestic box office — no film has ever done it, and the weekly totals are now slowing. But Sony’s numbers have already pushed Peter Parker past every other character on the all-time chart at a cumulative $17.5 billion worldwide, with Holland credited as the highest-grossing actor of all time. And with Avengers: Endgame heading back into theaters with new footage hyping Avengers: Doomsday, the battle for the worldwide crown is about to get a fresh chapter.
Sources: box office tracking data reported by entertainment trade outlets; Pakistani box office figures reported by local cinema trackers.
Related Posts
ShowbizHimesh Reshammiya’s Mic Cut Off Too at Bollywood Music Project: His Final Set, Ayushmann’s Surprise and the Line That Came True
ShowbizShilpa Rao’s Mic Cut Off Twice at Mumbai Concert: What Happened at Bollywood Music Project
ShowbizThe Last Glance Qualifies for 2027 Oscars Longlist: Pakistani Short Film’s Historic Win
ShowbizAmeer Gilani and Mawra Hocane Welcome Baby Boy Azmar — ‘It Means Lion’
ShowbizAamir Khan Breaks Down at the Singapore Film Festival: Thirty Years of Work Cost Me My Family Time
ShowbizHareem Farooq Reveals Her Morning Secret: She Thanks Her Body Every DayMost Popular
SportsBallon d’Or 2026: London Ceremony, Nominees and All-Time Records Ahead of 70th Anniversary282 views
How-ToPTA Tax Calculator 2026: Check Mobile Tax on Any Phone278 views
TechnologyAround 20 Pakistani Tech Companies Showcase Innovation at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco256 views
TechnologyRedmi K100 Launching on 28 October: 10,000mAh Battery, 185Hz Display and Full Specs252 views
SportsUEFA Champions League 2026-27: Format, Teams and Schedule251 views
Canada JobsTech Jobs in Canada: Roles, Salaries, and Skills Needed246 views
One comment