by Thinus Ferreira
Spider-Man - three of them actually - have spun and slung their way to the very top of South Africa's box office for 2021 with an astounding haul of over R56 million so far for Spider-Man: No Way Home to make it the biggest film release in the country for the year.
Spider-Man: No Way Home has become the first film that really lured South Africans back to physical cinema seats since the Covid-19 pandemic began in early-2020.
The emotionally-charged and critically praised film reunites the current Spider-Man, Tom Holland, on the big screen with previous iterations Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield who are once again donning their Spidey-costumes, alongside villains from all of the franchise's previous films.
By 31 December, Spider-Man: No Way Home, crossed R50 million in South African box office receipts, making it the biggest film release for 2021 in the country after taking in R20 233 911 over its opening weekend that started on 17 December.
Even more impressive than the R56 803 966 that Spider-Man: No Way Home has earned at the South African box office to date, is that it comes amidst a pummeling for the local cinema industry that stood shuttered for months because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, followed by a few cinemas that opened later in 2021 but had to restrict capacity.
The R20 million opening weekend box office gross for Spider-Man: No Way Home is the biggest opening ever for a Sony Pictures film in South Africa and released on 101 cinema screens across South Africa.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home broke box office records both locally and internationally and we are beyond pleased and impressed with the local box office results," Lucretia Anthony, marketing manager for Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) at FilmFinity, tells TVwithThinus.
"To reach over R50 million in just two weeks is phenomenal considering the current situation we are in with Covid-19 restrictions. I know Spider-Man is South Africa's most loved superhero and I am so glad fans came out to support the release."
The Spider-Man: No Way Home 2021 box office haul for 2021 is followed by F9: The Fast Saga with R29.8 million, Bond's latest outing of No Time to Die (R25.9 million), Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (R12.6 million), and Marvel's Eternals with R12.4 million.
Internationally Spider-Man: No Way Home is now the 12th highest-grossing film of all time with a global box office haul so far standing at $1 372 600 664.
