"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" has been having much success since it opened at the domestic box office in Hollywood in early December. It continues its winning streak as it debuted with $26 million at the Chinese box office during the weekend of Dec. 21.
According to Variety, the superhero film has become one of the biggest Hollywood animated flicks to open in China behind last summer's "Despicable Me 3" and "Kung Fu Panda 3" (2016). "Spider-Verse" also beat the box office numbers for recent animations that Chinese movie fans have enjoyed, such as "The Incredibles 2" and "Ralph Breaks the Internet."
A late December foreign film debut in China was unheard of in the past. This time of the year is usually reserved for local movie premieres. But authorities recently allowed the release of more Hollywood movies as China bids to boost its box office figures before the year ends.
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" takes place in a multi-universe. Its story centers on a teenager named Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), who assumes the identity of the webbed superhero. He partners with other familiar characters featured in Marvel's "Spider-Man" comic book series, such as Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn). Together, the Spidey group battle with the villain Kingpin (Liev Schreibner) and his group of criminals.
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman directed the animated movie from a screenplay developed and written by Phil Lord. The film also features the voices of Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali and Hollywood legend Lily Tomlin.
Incidentally, previous "Spider-Man" flicks were also successful at the Chinese box office. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" with Tom Holland earned $116.2 million when it was shown in the Chinese theaters in 2017. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" with Andrew Garfield earned $94.4 million in 2014.
No doubt, the "Spider-Man" franchise has a huge following in this Asian region that even other brands tied to the "Spider-Verse" are also gaining from the Chinese audience. According to Abacus News, the "Spider-Verse" app launched via the platform QQ, China's biggest messaging system, is also drawing plenty of users. The app appears in the movie as part of a marketing tie-up that Sony created to win over younger Chinese moviegoers.
Meanwhile, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" has been nominated for Best Animated movie at the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards. Sony is already planning the sequel and the spin-offs to the multi-verse.
