“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has broken box office records across the Middle East, scoring the region’s biggest opening of all time, according to Empire Entertainment, which serves as exclusive theatrical distributor for Sony Pictures across the region.
Across the four-day period of July 30 to Aug. 2, “Brand New Day” generated a total $18.4 million from Middle East movie theatres, said Empire, with the UAE accounting for $7.4 million and Saudi Arabia $5.4 million, “making them the film’s two biggest markets in the region.”
By contrast, “The Odyssey” recently opened at $2.8 million in the UAE and $2.6 million in Saudi, according to Box Office Mojo.
The new Tom Holland-led superhero sequel also scored highly with audiences across Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, “reaffirming the Middle East’s growing importance as one of the world’s strongest theatrical markets for major blockbuster releases,” the Empire statement noted.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” previously grossed $5 million across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2017 when Saudi cinemas had not yet opened; while “Spider-Man: Far From Home” pulled $7 million in 2019 when Saudi cinemas had only opened in a limited number of locations; and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” scored $15 million in 2021, according to figures provided by Empire.
“When a film performs this strongly, it tells us something crucial: audiences across the region are increasingly choosing cinema as their destination for entertainment,” commented Empire Entertainment president Mario Haddad Jr.
The success of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ also marks an important milestone for Empire as the tenth Spidey movie the company has distributed across the Middle East.
“It is a testament to the enduring strength of one of the world’s most beloved franchises and the excitement it continues to generate across generations,” added Haddad Jr. “This result sets a powerful precedent for how we approach distribution going forward.”
The box office across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been buoyant this year despite disruptions caused at the outset of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict regional conflict.
