Can The Animated Sequel Top Its Predecessor?

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If we treat “Across the Spider-Verse” as a film that builds upon the “No Way Home” premise, it’s easy to see that most are underestimating this film. Or perhaps optimism has blinded believers who think a frontloaded opening weekend means heavy legs. “Across the Spider-Verse” will have a stellar domestic showing but it is the international markets that will dictate the animated sequel’s fate as the winner of the summer. As always, it will be interesting to see how China responds to the film. Considering they didn’t receive “No Way Home,” it’s difficult to gauge just how high Spidey-fever is but early tracking is extremely optimistic, signaling a total that’s comparable to the original’s $60 million+ gross.

One market that will be particularly interesting to see is Mexico, which has openly embraced “Mario,” resulting in a record-breaking $85 million gross. The film it beat for the #1 spot? “No Way Home.” The original “Spider-Verse” made just $8 million in Mexico, but it’s possible that the sequel could explode in the country, and potentially bring up a total that’s over $40 million. In fact, that will likely be the case for several territories. With “Across the Spider-Verse,” expect several international markets, particularly in Asia and Europe to show up for the Spider-fest, where it will likely double or triple the previous film’s gross. Japan and the United Kingdom, and maybe India could explode as markets that round out the international top five.

Internationally, the expectation is $230 million minimum, but what would be really exciting is a solid $300 million+ showing. The perfect (and increasingly realistic) scenario for “Across the Spider-Verse” could very well be breaking the $708 million cume of 2014’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”