‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ slings back to box office top spot

LOS ANGELES, California: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” slung its webs back to the top of the box office while “The Flash” saw a drop faster than its speedy character.

The Spidey animated sequel, starring Shameik Moore as the teenage webslinger Miles Morales, reclaimed the No. 1 spot in its fourth week in North American theaters with $19.3 million. The latest number helped the Sony film reach $317.1 million domestically and an impressive $560.3 million worldwide.

Miles Morales as Spider-Man (left, voiced by Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy as Spider-Gwen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) in a scene from ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.’ SONY PICTURES ANIMATION IMAGE VIA AP 

“For a film like this to crawl and spin a web back into the No. 1 spot is very rare,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “It’s a testament to the quality of the movie. This is a very competitive and crowded summer movie marketplace. And yet ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ has distinguished itself as one of the biggest movies this summer season.”

“Spider-Verse” beat out “Elemental,” which took second place for the second week in a row with an estimated $18.5 million. The film held on to the spot after experiencing Pixar’s worst three-day opening last week.

No other film had such a dramatic drop than “The Flash” with $15.2 million for the big-budget offering. The second-week output for the DC and Warner Bros superhero film, starring Ezra Miller, fell off by 72 percent after opening with a subpar $55 million.

So far, the numbers “The Flash” have accumulated haven’t measured up for a movie with a $200-million production budget. Some are crediting the film’s struggles to Miller’s off-screen behavior that has included arrests and misconduct. The actor has apologized and sought mental health treatment.

“Sometimes it’s not the opening weekend that tells the whole story — particularly with ‘Elemental,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s more about the challenges that can sometimes face a movie like ‘The Flash’ that are multifaceted, and it’s very difficult to overcome.”

“The Flash” barely edged out “No Hard Feelings,” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. The Sony R-rated comedy, which opened in fourth place with $15.1 million, tells a story about a teen’s parents who hired a woman (Lawrence) to date and boost his confidence.

With “Spider-Verse” and “No Hard Feelings,” Dergarabedian said Sony should be pleased about the turnout for both films.

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” came in fifth place with $11.6 million in its third week with a total $122.9 million. It placed ahead of Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” which did better than expected with $9 million.

In seventh, “The Little Mermaid” pulled in $8.6 million to bring its total to more than $270 million.

Dergarabedian said he expected a good draw for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which opens on June 30.

“No matter what the reviews are. I know the reviews have been mixed. But the summer movie fan who wants to go to the movie theater, you can’t sit this one out,” he said. “It’s really going to be the audience who will decide the ultimate success of this film.”

Top nine films: 1) “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” $19.3 million; 2) “Elemental,” $18.4 million; 3) The Flash,” $15.2 million; 4) “No Hard Feelings,” 15.1 million; 5) “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” $11.6 million; 6) “Asteroid City” $9 million; 7) “The Little Mermaid,” $8.6 million; 8) “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” $3.5 million; 9) “The Blackening,” $3 million.