Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opened in US and Canadian theatres with a massive $199 million, more than tripling the debut of the 2018 animated original and showing the kind of movie-to-movie box-office growth that would be the envy of even the mightiest of Hollywood franchises.

The movie also opened in New Zealand cinemas this week.

Sony Pictures’ Across the Spider-Verse, the multi-verse spinning animated Spider-Man spinoff, sailed way past expectations, according to studio estimates Sunday, riding terrific reviews (95 per cent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and strong buzz for the hotly anticipated follow-up to the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

In the sometimes formulaic realm of superhero movies, 2018′s Into the Spider-Verse offered a blast of originality, introducing a teenage webslinger from Brooklyn, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a punk-rock Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) and a host of other Spider-People. It launched with $58 million on its way to $633 million worldwide.

Across the Spider-Verse, which exponentially expands the film’s universe-skipping worlds, cost $165 million to make, about half the cost of the average live-action comic-book movie. So at even the forecast $132 million that Spider-Verse had been expected to open, Across the Spider-Verse would have been a hit.

Across the Spider-Verse, the multi-verse spinning animated Spider-Man spinoff, sailed way past expectations. Photo / Marvel

Instead, it has turned out to be a box-office sensation, and the second-largest domestic opening of 2023, trailing only The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Across the Spider-Verse, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, even topped Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which debuted with $194 million, for best opening weekend of the summer so far.

The film, shepherded by writer-producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, is part two in a trilogy that will conclude with a third chapter to be released next year. Across the Spider-Verse over-performed abroad, too, with $145 million overseas.

After launching with $157 million and $193 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, The Little Mermaid dipped 57 per cent, partly due to the formidable competition from Across the Spider-Verse.

Having cost a reported $412 million to make, The Little Mermaid was met with mixed reviews but more enthusiasm from audiences, which gave it an “A” CinemaScore. But overseas, where previous Disney live-action remakes have thrived, is proving harder territory this time. The film added $69 million internationally over the weekend.

Disney also supplied the weekend’s top counter-programming option in The Boogeyman, a mostly well-received horror adaptation of a Stephen King short story. Director Rob Savage’s $57 million film, starring Sophie Thatcher and Chris Messina, had originally been intended to debut on Hulu before the studio pivoted. It opened with $20 million in ticket sales.

In limited release, the Sundance breakout film Past Lives launched with an impressive $95,860 per-screen average on four screens. Celine Song’s directorial debut stars Greta Lee as a woman torn between a childhood friend from Korea (Teo Yoo) and her American husband (John Magaro).

-Jake Coyle, Associated Press