'Spider-Man: No Way Home' is already the biggest movie of the year at the US box office after just 4 days

• "Spider-Man: No Way Home" earned $260 million over the weekend, the second biggest domestic debut ever.
• The movie is already the highest grossing movie at the US box office this year.

"Spider-Man: No Way Home," which hit theaters on Thursday, blew away expectations over the weekend, earning $260 million at the US box office.

It's the second highest domestic opening ever, behind "Avengers: Endgame" ($357 million) , and ahead of "Avengers: Infinity War" ($257 million) and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" ($247 million).

Heading into the weekend, Sony was projecting a $130 million debut. Some analysts projected between $150 million and $200 million.

The movie also grossed $340.8 million from 60 international markets, for a worldwide total of $600 million — the third biggest global opening ever. That was without China, the world's largest theatrical market. Unlike other Marvel movies this year that have been shut out of China, "No Way Home" has been approved for release in the region, but doesn't have a release date yet.

"No Way Home," which was released exclusively in movie theaters, is a much-needed win for the theater industry after two years of pandemic-related upheaval.

It's already the highest grossing movie of the year at the US box office.

1. "Spider-Man: No Way Home" — $260 million
2. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" — $224.5 million
3. "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" — $212.4 million
4. "Black Widow" — $183.6 million (released simultaneously on Disney+ Premier Access)
5. "F9: The Fast Saga" — $173.0 million

Globally, the movie is still behind three Chinese movies and two Hollywood releases this year, but is on pace to top them.

1. "The Battle at Lake Changjin" — $902.5 million
2. "Hi, Mom" — $822.0 million
3. "No Time to Die" — $773.7 million
4. "F9: The Fast Saga" — $726.2 million
5. "Detective Chinatown 3" — $686.2 million
6. "Spider-Man: No Way Home" — $600 million

"No Way Home's" success doesn't mean the theatrical business has fully recovered. Even the most successful movies this year have underperformed compared to pre-pandemic numbers. And adult dramas, from "The Last Duel" to "West Side Story," have struggled as older moviegoers have been slow to return to cinemas.