Pandemic moviegoing is finally starting to look like pre-pandemic moviegoing. Sony Pictures鈥� Marvel sequel 鈥淰enom: Let There Be Carnage鈥� blew away expectations to debut with $90.1 million in ticket sales, making it easily the best opening of the pandemic, according to studio estimates Sunday.

鈥淰enom: Let There Be Carnage鈥� had been forecast to open with closer to half that total. But the film, which is playing exclusively in theaters, exceeded even the debut of the 2018 original. 鈥淰enom,鈥� the 鈥淪pider-Man鈥� offshoot that introduced Tom Hardy鈥檚 parasitic alien symbiote, launched with $80.3 million. Only 2019鈥檚 鈥淛oker鈥� ($96.2 million) has ever opened bigger in October.

The result 鈥� along with robust international sales for the James Bond film 鈥淣o Time to Die鈥� 鈥� constituted the best news for movie theaters in more than 18 months.

鈥淲ith apologies to Mr. Twain: The death of movies has been greatly exaggerated,鈥� Tom Rothman, chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures鈥� Motion Picture Group, said in a statement.

Both 鈥淟et There Be Carnage鈥� and MGM鈥檚 鈥淣o Time to Die鈥� had originally been set to open last year. Believing the best box-office return would happen with an exclusive release in theaters, both studios (neither of which has a major streaming platform) held out for better moviegoing conditions. Over the weekend, their wait was rewarded.

鈥淣o Time to Die,鈥� which opens in North America on Friday, launched with $119.1 million in 54 overseas markets. The pace, according to MGM and Universal Pictures (which has many international rights), was roughly in line with the opening for 鈥淪kyfall.鈥� Following its London premiere last week, 鈥淣o Time to Die鈥� 鈥� the 25th Bond film and Daniel Craig鈥檚 last outing as the super spy 鈥� grossed $25.6 million in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its $11.4 million on Saturday there was the best box office day for any Bond film on its home turf.

Before 鈥淟et There Be Carnage,鈥� the top pandemic openings had been the Walt Disney鈥檚 鈥淏lack Widow鈥� ($80 million), 鈥淪hang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings鈥� ($75 million) and Universal Pictures鈥� 鈥淔ast and Furious鈥� sequel 鈥淔9鈥� ($70 million). 鈥淏lack Widow鈥� launched simultaneously in homes, prompting a lawsuit from star Scarlett Johansson which was settled last week. 鈥淪hang-Chi,鈥� 鈥淔9鈥� and 鈥淟et There Be Carnage鈥� debuted only in theaters.

鈥淔ilms can only become cultural when people see them together on the biggest, best screens and have that experience as a group,鈥� said Josh Greenstein, president of Sony Motion Pictures Group. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 replicate that by yourself at home.鈥�

After numerous delays, Sony in the end actually moved up the release of the 鈥淰enom鈥� sequel, directed by Andy Serkis and co-starring Woody Harrelson as the Venom foe Carnage, by two weeks.

鈥淲e saw the health of 鈥楽hang-Chi鈥� and it gave us confidence that when the product is there, the box office will return,鈥� said Adrian Smith, Sony鈥檚 distribution chief. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very validating to see the demand for theatricality.鈥�

Not everything is bouncing back in theaters and quickly as Marvel movies and the biggest brand names. Family moviegoing is still sluggish, as are ticket sales at art house theaters. Older audiences and families with unvaccinated children have been more cautious.

鈥淭he Addams Family 2,鈥� an animated sequel from MGM and United Artists Releasing, opened with $18 million despite terrible reviews (27% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) from critics. The film, a sequel to the 2019 cartoon reboot, was launched simultaneously on video-on-demand.

鈥淭he Saints of Newark,鈥� the long-in-coming prequel to 鈥淭he Sopranos,鈥� flopped. The film, co-written by 鈥淪opranos鈥� creator David Chase and set decades before the seminal HBO series, opened with $5 million. The film, like all Warner Bros. releases in 2021, was also streaming on HBO Max for subscribers 鈥� a practice some filmmakers, including Chase, have decried. The studio has pledged to return to exclusive theatrical windows in 2022.

Julia Ducournau鈥檚 鈥淭itane,鈥� the Palme d鈥橭r winner at the Cannes Film Festival this summer, also struggled to make a dent in theaters. The film, a wild odyssey about a serial-killing woman with a unique bond to automobiles, grossed about $516,000 in 562 theaters for Neon.

But spectacle moviegoing, particularly in films that appeal most to younger males, has been driving an even larger share of moviegoing this year. Marvel鈥檚 鈥淪hang-Chi,鈥� the studio鈥檚 first film led by an Asian superhero, has dominated the last month in theaters. It had been the No. 1 film for four consecutive weeks. 鈥淪hang-Chi鈥� this weekend became the first film to pass $200 million domestically, with a cumulative haul of $206.1 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $386.9 million globally

Large format screens are also helping to drive the recovery. With $30 million in global sales, IMAX had its best October weekend ever. Megan Colligan, president of IMAX Entertainment, called it proof of 鈥渨hat today鈥檚 box office is capable of.鈥�

鈥淭he perception may be that these films are overperforming,鈥� Colligan said, 鈥渂ut the reality is that many people are underestimating just how excited global consumers are to get back to the movies.鈥�

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Jake Coyle, The Associated Press

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