'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Is the Biggest Opening in Middle East History

The box office numbers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day are breaking records around the world. After posting the biggest opening in U.S. history, surpassing Avengers: Endgame over the weekend, and the new Tom Holland-led movie has also reached an impressive milestone in the Middle East. (via Variety)

According to data from Empire Entertainment, Sony Pictures' exclusive distributor in theaters across the region, the film grossed a total of $18.4 million, with $7.4 million coming from the United Arab Emirates and $5.4 million from Saudi Arabia, "making them the film's two biggest markets in the region."

Countries such as Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, which make up the so-called MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), also posted strong numbers for the film. 

For comparison, The Odyssey opened with $2.8 million in the United Arab Emirates and $2.6 million in Saudi Arabia, according to Box Office Mojo.

Updated figures should be released in the coming days, but the current expectation is that the film will gross more than $2 billion. Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman celebrated the film's success and highlighted the importance of the shared experience of moviegoing.

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In addition to Tom Holland returning as the lead, Jacob Batalon will be back as Ned, and Zendaya returns for the new Spider-Man movie as MJ. Among the new additions, Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) joins as Jean Grey.

Another confirmed cast member is Jon Bernthal as the Punisher, marking the hero’s debut in Marvel films. Also joining him, Mark Ruffalo is in the movie as Hulk and will transform, for the first time in the MCU, into Gray Hulk, a bigger and more dangerous version of the giant.

The official synopsis for Brand New Day has been released:  "It's a BRAND NEW DAY for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them."

Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) is directing the project. Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna, who wrote Spider-Man: No Way Home, are also responsible for the upcoming film. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.