Disney CEO Says ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s’ Massive Success Is Great News for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro believes the huge success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day could be a positive sign for Marvel’s next major event movie, Avengers: Doomsday.
Speaking during Disney’s quarterly earnings call on Wednesday, D’Amaro praised the performance of Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man release, calling its opening weekend an “unbelievable result.” The film reportedly earned $360 million in the U.S. during its debut weekend, beating Disney’s Avengers: Endgame to become the biggest domestic opening in history. It also crossed $1 billion worldwide shortly after release.
Although Sony controls the distribution rights for Spider-Man movies, Disney’s Marvel Studios continues to produce the films. Because of that shared connection, D’Amaro’s comments were both a congratulations to Sony and a reflection of Marvel’s continued strength with one of its most popular characters.
“I’d be remiss not to acknowledge and congratulate everyone on this past weekend’s record breaking opening,” D’Amaro said during the earnings call, giving credit to Sony, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, and the wider Marvel team.
The Disney CEO said the movie’s success shows that audiences are still willing to show up for major theatrical experiences when the right film arrives.
“It’s one more example that audiences will turn out in force for great theatrical experiences,” D’Amaro said. He added that Spider-Man remains one of the world’s most recognizable characters decades after his debut.
D’Amaro also pointed to the character’s value across different parts of Disney’s business, including consumer products, theme parks, and streaming. He said the strong performance of Spider-Man: Brand New Day shows that the franchise still has major power with audiences.
“And it goes without saying that the success of Spider-Man bodes well for our upcoming and highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday film,” D’Amaro said.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 18 and will be the first Avengers movie since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The upcoming film is expected to be one of Marvel’s biggest releases as the studio looks to rebuild excitement around its superhero universe.
Marvel and the superhero genre have faced challenges in recent years. Several comic book movies have struggled to match the massive success seen before the pandemic, and Disney has also worked to bring audiences back to theaters after years of changing viewing habits.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s performance has given Marvel a major boost at a time when the studio is looking for another global event. The success suggests that audiences are still interested in superhero stories when they feature well-known characters and a strong theatrical experience.
D’Amaro’s comments also highlight the unusual relationship between Disney and Sony. While the two companies compete in many areas of entertainment, they continue to work together on Spider-Man’s future through Marvel Studios’ involvement.
With Avengers: Doomsday approaching, Disney is hoping the excitement surrounding Spider-Man can carry over into the next major chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether the film can match the level of anticipation created by Endgame remains to be seen, but Disney clearly sees Spider-Man’s record-breaking run as a promising sign.
Do you think Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s success means Avengers: Doomsday will be a major hit?
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