‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Is Shattering China Box Office Records No Marvel Movie Has Touched in Years

China has always been a tricky market for Hollywood superhero movies, especially in recent years, as local audiences increasingly gravitate toward homegrown blockbusters over imported franchise fare. That makes what’s currently happening with Tom Holland’s latest web-slinging adventure all the more remarkable.

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ landed in Chinese theaters on July 29, a full two days ahead of its North American debut, giving local audiences the very first look at Peter Parker’s next chapter. Given how rough the last several years have been for American superhero films in the region, expectations for the opening were cautiously optimistic at best.

Those expectations have been blown completely out of the water. The film earned more than $16.5 million by midday Wednesday alone, a pace that hasn’t been matched by any U.S. comic-book movie in China in at least seven years, according to reporting from The Hollywood Reporter.

Local ticketing giant Maoyan is now projecting a full first-day total of roughly $37.4 million, a number that would leave every recent Marvel release in the region far behind. The closest competitor, ‘Venom: The Last Dance,’ managed just $9.4 million on its opening day back in 2024, putting ‘Brand New Day’s’ performance in an entirely different tier.

To put that gap in perspective, the last superhero film to open anywhere near this level in China was ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home,’ which debuted to $36 million back in 2019. Since then, Marvel titles endured a lengthy regulatory freeze in the Chinese market from mid-2019 through early 2023, and recovery since that ban has been slow, with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ and ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ standing as the era’s previous high-water marks at $87 million and $94 million respectively for their entire theatrical runs.

Part of what makes this opening especially significant is that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ never played in China at all, after regulators reportedly objected to the prominent use of the Statue of Liberty during the film’s climax. That absence left a four-year gap in Chinese audiences’ access to Holland’s Spider-Man, making this opening effectively their first chance to catch up with the character’s story since ‘Far From Home.’

Maoyan’s full-run China forecast now sits around $255 million, while rival tracking firm Dengta projects an even higher total exceeding $265 million. Either figure would represent one of the strongest China runs for any Hollywood superhero property in years, particularly given how dramatically American blockbusters have fallen out of favor with local moviegoers since the pandemic era.

The strong Chinese debut adds to an already electric global rollout for the film. Industry analysts are currently projecting an international opening in the $275 million to $300 million range, with a North American debut expected around $180 million, positioning ‘Brand New Day’ to potentially challenge some of the biggest worldwide launches in franchise history.

With a reported production budget of $225 million, according to Variety, the film’s day-and-date China release appears to be paying off exactly as Sony and Marvel had hoped when they secured the earlier date and an exclusive IMAX rollout unavailable to U.S. audiences. If early tracking holds through opening weekend, ‘Brand New Day’ could end up standing as one of the biggest superhero openings China has seen in years.

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