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“Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo have officially surrendered the opening box office crown to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” The Marvel filmmaking duo took to Instagram to congratulate the “Brand New Day”
team, including director Destin Daniel Cretton and stars Tom Holland and Zendaya, for setting a new domestic box office opening weekend record with a staggering $360 million, edging out their previous record holder “Endgame” (which launched to $357M in 2019). The two superhero movies are the only films to earn more than $300 million in their debuts.
“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 Russo Brothers wrote alongside an image of Spider-Man wearing victory rings resembling the Infinity Gauntlet. “The gauntlet has been passed…”
“Endgame” is the second highest-grossing movie in history with $2.7 billion worldwide and remains the fastest title to ever hit the $1 billion mark globally, which it did during its three-day opening weekend. “Brand New Day” started rolling out overseas two days before its domestic launch, taking six days to hit the $1 billion mark (the second fastest title to do so). Whether or not “Brand New Day” surpasses “Endgame’s” final total remains to be seen, although it certainly is shaping up to give it a run for its money. “Endgame” retains the record for biggest global opening at $1.2 billion. “Brand New Day” launched to $927 million globally.
It’s become common practice on social media for directors to pass the baton when box office records are broken. James Cameron tipped his hat to the Russos Brothers in 2019 when “Endgame” surpassed “Titanic” as the second-biggest movie of all time after just two weekends in theaters.
“An iceberg sank the real Titanic. It took the Avengers to sink my Titanic,” Cameron wrote on X at the time. “Everyone here at Lightstorm Entertainment salutes your amazing achievement. You’ve shown that the movie industry is not the only alive and well, it’s bigger than ever!”
The Russo Brothers won’t have to wait long for a chance to reclaim the box office opening record. Their next Marvel effort, “Avengers: Doomsday,” is their sequel to “Endgame” and arrives in theaters on Dec. 18 with sky high box office expectations.
