Spiderman: No Way Home hasn’t even been released yet, but Peter Parkers latest outing is already causing a nightmare for another kind of web developer. Within minutes of ticket sales going online, box office websites worldwide began to crash as moviegoers raced to snag a seat at one of the most anticipated films of the year.
The feverish ticket presales surrounding the movie have some predicting it will become the first pandemic-era release to break the $100 million opening weekend mark. The box office has suffered since the pandemic decimated the movie theater industry.
“There are different tiers of intense fan demand when it comes to box office pre-sales, and this film is clearly showing it belongs near the top with a select few others,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “For anyone who doubted the communal draw of the theatrical experience over the past two years, look to this enthusiasm for ‘Spider-Man’ as a major inflection point during the box office recovery period and the sign of a bright future ahead.”
High demand for the film is encouraging when it comes to the box office and may signal a return to pre-pandemic levels. The overload of traffic has caused a frenzy for Marvel fanatics who were unable to access the websites.
According to comicbook.com, websites offering tickets to the film began crashing within minutes of tickets going on sale. AMC, Regal, and Fandango were unable to handle demand, and one by one they began to crash. Alamo Drafthouse soon followed, with most other ticketing and movie theater websites struggling to keep up.
It looks like most ticket retailers have come back online and resumed ticket sales, they are still grappling with the high volume of users. AMC has introduced a queuing system to help cope with the influx of customers.
The high demand is a good sign for cineplexes, and they’re hoping the film will finally give them something resembling a blockbuster from the pre-pandemic era. The film is set to be the biggest moneymaker of 2021 and could be the first of the year to open to $100 million domestically if ticket sales are any indication.
It would be fitting that the Spider-Man film would be the first pandemic-era title to achieve the mark. The first Spider-Man movie, released in 2002, became the first movie to achieve $100 million in an opening weekend.
Sources: CNBC, Comic Book