‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Sets Middle East Opening Weekend Record, Distributor Says

Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened to record-breaking results across the Middle East, according to Empire Entertainment, the exclusive theatrical distributor for Sony Pictures in the region. In a report published Tuesday, Deadline said the film generated US$18.4 million at the Middle East box office during its opening weekend, marking the biggest start of any movie in that market’s history.

The distributor attributed the strong performance to momentum across key territory markets. Deadline reported that the United Arab Emirates contributed US$7.4 million to the opening weekend total, while Saudi Arabia delivered additional ticket sales that pushed the overall regional figure to the record level.

Deadline’s account said the production’s launch played out through Empire Entertainment’s theatrical distribution footprint across the Middle East. As described in the report, the distributor functions as the regional theatrical rollout partner for Sony Pictures, meaning it oversees local release strategy and the film’s movement to exhibitors in each market.

The record reinforces the scale of movie-going in the region and the ongoing importance of theatrical distribution partnerships. For exhibitors, opening weekends often influence which films receive further screening time, how quickly additional showtimes are added, and how marketing resources are allocated in the days immediately following release.

It is also a reminder of how performance tracking in regional markets has become an important indicator for studios and distributors. Opening weekend figures can affect downstream decisions around audience targeting, the extent of theater allocations, and the timing of subsequent releases for competing titles, particularly in markets where schedules are coordinated around school breaks and seasonal demand.

Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man brand has historically been a global theatrical draw, and the distributor’s reported record suggests that the franchise’s appeal is not limited to domestic or Western markets. In the Middle East, that appeal translated into a first-weekend tally that, according to Empire Entertainment as quoted by Deadline, surpassed previous titles.

Deadline did not provide additional breakdowns beyond the UAE and Saudi Arabia references, nor did it detail total ticket counts, screen counts, or admissions data for other individual countries in the region. The report also did not specify whether the record includes first-weekend estimates only, or how it treats previews and special showings, leaving room for different counting methodologies across databases.