Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the most highly anticipated superhero movies in recent years. Fans were eager to see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker join forces with previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. There was a ton of hype around No Way Home bringing together the three different Spider-Man universes.
However, despite the immense excitement, some critics and fans have called No Way Home a box office flop. In this article, we’ll analyze the data and metrics to determine if those claims have any validity or if No Way Home was actually a smash hit.
Box Office Performance
No Way Home earned an impressive $1.869 billion at the worldwide box office. That makes it the 6th highest grossing movie of all time globally. It’s important to note the film achieved this total despite releasing during the COVID-19 pandemic when movie theaters were operating at reduced capacity or shut down completely in some markets.
Domestically, No Way Home grossed $804.7 million. That’s good enough for the 3rd highest grossing domestic release ever behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936M) and Avengers: Endgame ($858M).
It’s quite clear from the box office numbers that calling No Way Home a “flop” is completely inaccurate. The film ranks among the highest grossing movies of all time and posted huge numbers despite the challenging theatrical landscape.
No Way Home Worldwide Box Office Total: $1.869 billion
No Way Home Domestic Box Office Total: $804.7 million
Critical Reception
In addition to crushed it at the box office, No Way Home was a hit with critics as well. The film earned a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 93% and an audience score of 98%. For comparison, Spider-Man 3 from the Sam Raimi trilogy that included Tobey Maguire earned scores of 63% from critics and 51% from fans. So No Way Home was far better received all around.
The critical consensus said No Way Home “rises to meet fans’ high expectations with a thrilling, emotionally-resonant multiverse adventure.” While there were a few lukewarm reviews, most praised the story, action sequences, and performances especially by Tom Holland.
No Way Home Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 93%
No Way Home Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 98%
CinemaScore
CinemaScore polls moviegoers on opening night to get a sense of the fan response. No Way Home earned a rare A+ CinemaScore, a feat only about 20 films have accomplished. For comparison, Spider-Man 3 earned a B+ CinemaScore.
An A+ CinemaScore indicates outstanding word-of-mouth that usually translates into strong box office legs. No Way Home definitely benefited from excellent word-of-mouth to stay a hot ticket even weeks after its release.
No Way Home CinemaScore: A+
Impact of Re-Release
No Way Home was re-released in theaters on September 1, 2022 with 11 minutes of new footage. The re-release added another $7 million to No Way Home’s domestic gross and $20 million worldwide.
Some may try to claim the re-release “padded” the box office total. But an extra $20 million is a drop in the bucket on a film that grossed nearly $1.9 billion. Even if we deducted the re-release numbers, No Way Home would still rank among the highest grossing superhero movies ever.
Conclusion
The data clearly shows that claims of No Way Home being a box office flop are completely false. The movie delivered absolutely monstrous box office numbers despite challenges facing the theatrical industry. It satisfied critics and fans alike based on stellar reviews. And it joined one of the most elite clubs of A+ CinemaScore films indicating excellent word-of-mouth.
No Way Home will go down as one of the most popular and profitable superhero movies of all time. Declaring it a flop is an ice cold take not supported by facts. Spider-Man swings again to deliver a rousing cinematic triumph.
