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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Marvel's ``Spider-Man: No Way Home'' scored the third-biggest opening weekend in box office history with $253 million, according to industry estimates out today, despite a resurgent coronavirus pandemic fueled by the new Omicron variant.
The latest edition of the long-running and lucrative film franchise -- co-produced by Marvel Studios and Columbia Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures -- stars Tom Holland, Zendaya and Benedict Cumberbatch.
It's the first film in the pandemic era to top $100 million at North American theaters in its first weekend, and has already exceeded the total domestic gross of any film released since March 2020, surpassing Marvel's ``Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,'' which has grossed $224.5 million.
The only two films to make more money in their opening weekends are 2019's ``Avengers: Endgame'' with $357 million, and 2018's ``Avengers: Infinity War'' with $257.6 million.
Disney's animated film ``Encanto'' was a distant second with $6.5 million in its fourth week in theaters, Comscore reported.
"West Side Story'' was third with $3.41 million in its second weekend, followed by ``Ghostbusters: Afterlife,'' which took in $3.4 million Friday through Sunday.
``Nightmare Alley,'' director Guillermo del Toro's remake of a 1947 film noir, opened in fifth place with $2.9 million.
Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases, as estimated by Comscore, were ``House of Gucci'' ($1.8 million), ``Eternals'' ($1.1 million), ``Clifford the Big Red Dog'' ($400,000), ``Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City'' ($280,000), and ``Venom: Let There be Carnage'' ($220,000).
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