Kevin Feige hails Spider-Man: Brand New Day's phenomenal box office debut

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has celebrated the "truly phenomenal" commercial success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

The latest solo Spider-Man movie, starring husband and wife Tom Holland and Zendaya, smashed box office expectations and took a blockbuster $927 million (£689 million) worldwide in its opening weekend, the second-biggest global debut in history.

It ranks behind 2019's Avengers: Endgame, which took a staggering $1.2 billion (£891 million) globally on its opening weekend.

Feige, who produced the Spider-Man franchise alongside Sony executives, celebrated its "truly phenomenal" commercial achievement in a statement.

"This is a truly phenomenal opening, and we are grateful to audiences everywhere for coming out and experiencing our film the way it was meant to be seen," he said. "This debut reflects the enduring power of Marvel's characters, and the connection they continue to have with fans around the world - and, as audiences saw, it sets up exciting things to come."

The film, Holland's fourth solo outing as Peter Parker, made $355 million (£264 million) at the North America box office. Again, this is the second-biggest opening weekend domestically after Avengers: Endgame's $357 million (£265 million), not adjusted for inflation.

According to Variety, no other films have ever come close to surpassing $300 million (£223 million) in a single weekend.

Internationally, Spider-Man: Brand New Day grossed $572 million (£425 million), bringing its global total to a whopping $927 million.

Without adjusting for inflation, Marvel titles now hold the four biggest global openings of all time, with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Brand New Day followed by 2018's Avengers: Infinity War with $640 million (£475 million) and 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home with $600 million (£446 million).

Despite the new Marvel outing, audiences still turned out in droves to see Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which was released earlier in July, and together, they powered a blockbuster weekend at North American cinemas. With an estimated $430 million (£320 million) spent by cinemagoers across all movies, this past weekend was the biggest collective weekend in box office history.

Holland and Zendaya also star in The Odyssey, alongside Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Charlize Theron.