With a stellar $120.5 million in its domestic box office debut, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” exceeded expectations and secured the second-biggest opening weekend of the year, trailing only “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with $146 million.

Additionally, it claimed the third-biggest opening weekend for any “Spider-Man” film. The success of Sony’s animated sequel can be attributed to its positive reviews, word-of-mouth, and the goodwill generated by its predecessor, the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” from 2018. Initial ticket sales were significantly higher than the first film’s, which opened to just $35.5 million but had enduring appeal and ended its run with $190 million in North America and $384 million globally.

The international box office debut of “Across the Spider-Verse” earned $88.1 million from 59 territories, with China leading the way with $17.3 million. The film’s worldwide total now stands at $208.6 million. According to David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, “Spider-Verse” has had an exceptional opening for an animation follow-up sequel, by taking a well-liked superhero, creating an original visual style and voice, and providing a unique experience.

The movie, which cost $100 million to produce, was directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson and stars Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld as Miles and Gwen Stacy, respectively. The film received an “A” CinemaScore from audiences and a 95% average on Rotten Tomatoes.

It is the first superhero movie to receive such high praise since Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Other new arrivals in the box office charts include Disney and 20th Century’s “The Boogeyman,” which opened in third place with $12.3 million from 3,205 theaters, and Universal’s “Fast X,” which rounded out the top five with $9.2 million from 3,467 locations in its third outing.