Last year, this time around, the box office worldwide was no less than a ferocious battlefield. Releasing in July were two legendary films that were to change the course of the entertainment landscape: Oppenheimer and Barbie. Incredibly diverse and different, both ended up becoming blockbusters with the WWII epic bagging seven Oscars and dozens of other prestigious accolades.
While it left behind Barbie in the race for awards, it was also defeated by the pink odyssey at the box office. And as per recent updates, the movie suffers another blow, as far as revenues are concerned, by being defeated by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Defeats Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Last year might not have been as great of a year for every major theatrical release, but it certainly was for the likes of Oppenheimer and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. While the Christopher Nolan-directed film was unlike any other film, Across the Spiderverse was the brilliant sequel to the Oscar-winning Into the Spider-Verse.
While Nolan’s nuclear epic left behind any other films at the Oscars, and Across the Spider-Verse lost its nomination to The Boy and the Heron, the spider-flick has left its unlikely contender miles behind as far as the net profits are concerned.
As per Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament 2023, Spider-Verse fared way better than most movies released last year and occupied third place overall. While its total revenue (Theatrical+Home Entertainment+Television and Streaming) was $598 million, the total expenses (Production, Distribution, Participation, and more) amounting to $270 million made its studio net profit tally at $328 million. An impressive feat for an animated superhero movie, in a world where there seems to be a superhero fatigue raging on.
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer earned a total revenue of $721 million (Theatrical+Home Entertainment+Television and Streaming) against $520 million in total expenses, including all production, distribution, and more costs. Thus, its total tally of net profit was equal to $201 million, a figure significantly lower than Spider-Verse’s, making it the fifth most valuable film of last year.
Fans React to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Winning Against Oppenheimer
No fan would have expected that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse would leave behind Oppenheimer in terms of profits for the Nolan-directed flick was one of the highest-grossing movies of last year. Yet, fans are not as surprised seeing how Across the Spider-Verse was one of the best comic books and Spider-Man movies of all time.
As the details of Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament 2023 went viral, this is how fans reacted:
spider-man always wins
— Eddie (@OHMYDIAZ) May 4, 2024
Can’t wait for part 3. this style is just unmatched
— AnotherNewApe / anewape.loopring.eth (@xcwm79) May 4, 2024
Deserved it, the animation alone was next level.
— Nathalie May (@nathaliemayy) May 4, 2024
Not surprised, the animation and storytelling were top-notch; totally deserved it.
— Natalie May (@babenataliemay) May 4, 2024
It was fantastic. The Spiderverse movies are the best Spiderman movies ever made. Watching them is the only time I’ve ever felt like I was watching a comic book
— Maximus (@JonathanAllen21) May 5, 2024
While all of last year’s movie releases were an exciting mix of genres and stories, Oppenheimer and Barbie were true legendary entries. Yet despite several Oscars and other accolades, Christopher Nolan’s WWII flick lost to Across the Spider-Verse, proving that animated and comic book movies are still profitable, if done right.
Oppenheimer can be rented on Amazon Prime, while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix.
