LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Spider-man: No Way Home” took in $50 million at U.S. and Canadian movie box offices on Thursday, the third-highest total for preview showings ahead of its opening weekend, distributor Sony Corp said on Friday.
The big-budget action movie co-produced by Walt Disney Co stars Tom Holland as the web-slinging superhero and Zendaya as his girlfriend, MJ. It is playing exclusively in theaters.
Thursday’s ticket sales set a record for the COVID-19 pandemic and provided welcome news for theater chains, including AMC Entertainment, Cinemark and Cineworld’s Regal chain. Movie houses have been struggling to lure back audiences during the global health crisis.
“No Way Home” received a glowing reception from movie critics. As of Friday, 95% of 220 reviews were scored as positive on the Rotten Tomatoes website.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
