Though Spider-Man is best known for saving New York and its residents, his latest movie may have just saved movie theaters.

After a record-breaking first weekend from Dec. 17-19, Spider-Man: No Way Home from Sony Pictures has now become the first movie to cross the $1 billion mark worldwide since the COVID-19 began. The last film to cross the $1 billion threshold was Disney's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Jan. 2020, according to Box Office Mojo.


The film's domestic total is now at over $467 million.

NEW SPIDER-MAN MOVIE SHATTERS EXPECTATIONS, GIVING HOPE TO MOVIE THEATERS AMID PANDEMIC

The film's box office success makes it the highest-grossing film of 2021, both domestically and globally. In North America, the film has already doubled its fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which earned roughly $224 million. Globally, Spider-Man: No Way Home has beaten the Chinese film The Battle of Lake Changjin, which came closest to breaking the $1 billion barrier at over $900 million.

The film still does not have a date for release in China, which has been the world’s largest film market for the past two years, according to Fortune.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Various newcomers released on Dec. 22 failed to beat Spider-Man for the No. 1 spot, but Universal's Sing 2 came the closest, with a $23 million weekend and a $41 five-day total.