Spider-Man: Brand New Day has become the biggest opening weekend success in South African cinema history, setting new box-office records and reinforcing growing confidence in the country’s theatrical market.
According to Ster-Kinekor, the latest instalment in the Spider-Man franchise generated more than R44 million at the South African box office during its opening weekend, making it the strongest opening ever recorded across cinemas nationwide. The performance follows another successful blockbuster release, The Odyssey, which also delivered record-breaking results across Ster-Kinekor’s IMAX cinemas earlier this year.
Impressive attendance figures matched the strong box-office performance. Ster-Kinekor said many screenings sold out over the weekend, while Saturday recorded close to 90% occupancy across its cinemas as audiences flocked to see the film.
The film also enjoyed a record-breaking opening day for Ster-Kinekor, generating US$ 591, 532 in ticket sales and surpassing the opening-day performance of Avengers: Endgame, which had held the benchmark since its release in 2019.
Over the full weekend, Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned US$2.2 million through Ster-Kinekor cinemas alone, outperforming every previous Spider-Man film released in South Africa. The latest instalment also more than doubled the opening weekend earnings of its predecessor, making it the most successful title in the franchise’s local history.
The film also enjoyed an exceptional debut internationally. With global opening weekend takings of US$927 million, Spider-Man: Brand New Day delivered the second-biggest box-office launch in cinema history, trailing only Avengers: Endgame.
Commenting on the results, Ster-Kinekor Chief Marketing Officer Lynne Wylie said the record-breaking figures demonstrate that audiences are once again embracing the cinema experience for major film releases. She noted that blockbuster titles continue to draw moviegoers back to theatres, particularly when presented on premium large-format screens.
Wylie also pointed to the recent success of The Odyssey, which achieved the biggest IMAX opening weekend ever recorded across Ster-Kinekor’s nine IMAX cinemas. She said the exceptional performance of both films reflects the enduring appeal of major theatrical releases and places them among the biggest box-office events in recent years.
Looking ahead, Ster-Kinekor expects the momentum to continue as several high-profile releases arrive in cinemas over the coming months. Titles including Street Fighter, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and Dune: Chapter 3 are expected to attract strong audience interest, while the planned re-release of Avengers: Endgame Encore ahead of the launch of Avengers: Doomsday is already generating excitement among movie fans.
The record-breaking performance of Spider-Man: Brand New Day provides further evidence that, despite the growth of streaming platforms, audiences continue to value the shared experience of watching blockbuster films on the big screen.
