Russo brothers salute ‘Spider Man: Brand New Day’ after record breaking debut

Marvel blockbuster became only second film ever to open above $300m domestically, setting fresh industry milestone

Spider Man: Brand New Day has officially claimed the biggest domestic opening weekend in box office history, prompting Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo to publicly congratulate the film's cast and crew for surpassing a record many believed would stand for years.

The latest Marvel blockbuster earned an extraordinary $360m during its opening weekend in North America, narrowly overtaking the $357m debut achieved by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The achievement makes Spider Man: Brand New Day the highest domestic opening of all time and only the second film in history to launch with more than $300m in the United States and Canada.

Following the record breaking performance, the Russo brothers shared a congratulatory message on Instagram alongside artwork showing Spider Man wearing rings resembling the Infinity Gauntlet, a clear reference to their own Marvel epic.

"Huge congratulations to Destin, Tom, Zendaya, Jacob, Jon, Mark, Sadie, Florence, Michael, Marisa, producers Kevin, Amy, Avi, and Rachel, and the entire Spider Man: Brand New Day cast and crew on making domestic box office opening weekend history," the filmmakers wrote. "The gauntlet has been passed."

 

 

 

 

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The message recognised director Destin Daniel Cretton alongside stars Tom Holland and Zendaya, as well as the wider creative team behind the production. The symbolic handover reflects a tradition in Hollywood, where filmmakers publicly acknowledge one another after major box office milestones are surpassed.

Although Spider Man: Brand New Day now owns the domestic opening weekend record, Avengers: Endgame continues to hold several significant global achievements. The 2019 blockbuster remains the second highest grossing film of all time with approximately $2.7bn worldwide. It also retains the record for the fastest film to reach $1bn globally, accomplishing the feat within its first three day opening weekend.

By comparison, Spider Man: Brand New Day reached the $1bn worldwide milestone in six days after beginning its international rollout two days before its North American release. That performance still ranks as the second fastest journey to $1bn in cinema history and underlines the enormous global demand for the latest Marvel adventure.

The film has already amassed $927m worldwide during its opening launch period, placing it on course to become one of the biggest releases of the year. Whether it can ultimately surpass Avengers: Endgame's lifetime worldwide total remains uncertain, but its early momentum has fuelled expectations of another historic theatrical run.

The Russo brothers themselves experienced a similar passing of the torch in 2019. After Avengers: Endgame overtook Titanic to become the second highest grossing film ever released, director James Cameron publicly congratulated the Marvel filmmakers on social media.

"An iceberg sank the real Titanic. It took the Avengers to sink my Titanic," Cameron wrote at the time. "Everyone here at Lightstorm Entertainment salutes your amazing achievement. You've shown that the movie industry is not only alive and well, it's bigger than ever."

The latest exchange continues a tradition of mutual respect among some of Hollywood's biggest filmmakers, with milestone breaking successes celebrated rather than treated as rivalries.

The Russo brothers may also have an opportunity to reclaim the domestic opening weekend record in the near future. Their next Marvel project, Avengers: Doomsday, is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on December 18 and is already expected to become one of the industry's biggest releases.