How Did The Batman's Opening Weekend Compare To Spider-Man: No Way Home?

There's no doubt that superhero blockbusters reign supreme at the box office nowadays. With four Marvel titles in the top 10 top-grossing movies of all time, the studio knows how to get butts in theater seats. Judging by the success of the latest superhero release, the genre is still a top earner despite the ongoing pandemic.

The latest superhero flick to grace the silver screen is Matt Reeves' "The Batman." In this interpretation of the caped crusader, we see Robert Pattinson as a darker, edgier Bruce Wayne. In the film, after donning the black cape and cowl for about two years, Bruce is tasked with solving a string of cryptic murders staged by the Riddler (Paul Dano). He teams up with GCPD's Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) to unravel the Riddler's puzzles and comes across several classic franchise characters along the way such as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), and the Penguin (Colin Farrell).

With the box office numbers officially in for "The Batman," it's a certified hit. But how does it stand up to the season's other superhero blockbuster, "Spider-Man: No Way Home"?

Just a short while ago, it seemed like the only thing on movie fans' minds was the release of "Spider-Man: No Way Home." The film promised a Marvel event like no other, and boy, did it deliver. "No Way Home" features the return of classic Spidey villains the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and more plus saw all three live-action versions of Spider-Man in one film for an iconic meetup. It raked in over $260 million during its opening weekend and has become the third highest-grossing movie ever stateside, proving just how epic of a film it is (via Box Office Mojo).

In comparison, "The Batman" earned $128.5 million, making it the second-best opening during the pandemic behind "No Way Home" (via Box Office Mojo). In terms of moviegoers, "The Batman" coaxed 9.5 million people into theaters over opening weekend, whereas "No Way Home" persuaded 20 million (via Deadline). More than likely, the difference in earnings between the two really comes down to the films' major differences. Although both are essentially superhero films, one was a massive crossover event while the other was more along the lines of a psychological thriller. Additionally, at two hours and 56 minutes, "The Batman" was nearly half an hour longer than "No Way Home," meaning the latter probably had more showings. All in all, though, both films are feats in their own right for superhero fans and movie lovers alike.