Matthew Towers/Sony Pictures
Does the extraordinary box office launch of Spider-Man: Brand New Day signal good news for Avengers: Doomsday?
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro thinks so
On the company’s quarterly earnings call early Wednesday, the executive made a case for Spidey being a positive omen for Marvel‘s big team-up movie in December
“I’d be remiss not to acknowledge and congratulate everyone on this past weekend’s record-breaking opening for Spider-Man,” D’Amaro said. “Congratulations to Sony, Kevin Feige, and the Marvel Studios team. It’s an unbelievable result, and it’s one more example that audiences will turn out in force for great theatrical experiences. Sixty five years after his debut, Spider-Man remains one of the most popular characters from consumer products, parks, and streaming. And this weekend, it’s a great reminder of just how much strength this franchise still has. And it goes without saying that the success of Spider-Man bodes well for our upcoming and highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday film, the appeal of our IP across multiple consumer touchpoints is central to our strategy, and Disney Plus is the digital centerpiece for that.”
Of course, Avengers: Doomsday — which opens Dec. 18 — was already predicted to be huge. The film raked in $19 million in advance ticket sales for premium format theaters since it went on sale last month. But superhero fatigue has also been a real thing. Marvel’s last three efforts — Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps — all made hundreds of millions at the box office, yet all were viewed as performing somewhat softer than what Marvel films typically grossed in the past.
So, yes, Spider-Man: Brand New Day exploding to $1 billion out of the gate certainly bodes well for the genre, proving audiences will still turn out in droves for a superhero film they’re interested in
There’s also a case to be made that Brand New Day will help Avengers: Doomsday more directly. Brand New Day — major spoiler alert — introduces Sadie Sink as mutant Jean Grey. While Sink is not announced as part of the Doomsday cast, the film features several legacy X-Men characters. Holland has also not been announced as part of the Doomsday cast. Still, both showing up in Doomsday and/or its sequel, Secret Wars, would hardly surprise
Also on the earnings call box office front, D’Amaro admitted The Mandalorian and Grogu and Moana disappointed in ticket sales, but said the films still helped the company’s bottom line through retail sales, gaming and theme park attendance
