(Adds global ticket sales, background)
LOS ANGELES, Dec 19 (Reuters) - "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
racked up an estimated $253 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket
sales over the weekend, setting a pandemic-era record and
ranking as the third-biggest domestic movie opening of all time,
distributor Sony Corp on Sunday.
Around the globe, "No Way Home" generated an additional
$334.2 million for a worldwide weekend total of $587.2 million.
The blockbuster returns provided a much-needed jolt to
cinemas that have struggled to draw crowds during the COVID-19
crisis. The spread of the Omicron variant https://www.reuters.com/world/threat-omicron-looms-over-christmas-holidays-europe-us-2021-12-19
has sparked new concerns.
But as Broadway and New York City's Rockettes canceled shows
and the National Football League postponed games, theaters were
abuzz. Fans packed auditoriums for "No Way Home," a big-budget
superhero spectacle co-produced by Sony Corp and Walt
Disney Co that is playing only in theaters.
The movie stars Tom Holland as the web-slinging superhero
and Zendaya, as his girlfriend MJ, in the third film in a
Spider-Man trilogy.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
