Highly anticipated by Hollywood and a film industry left bloodless by the Covid-19 pandemic, the latest film in the saga is only surpassed by "Avengers: Endgame" ($ 357 million) and "Avengers: Infinity War" ( 258 million) in the annals of the best releases in the United States and Canada, according to the specialized site Box Office Mojo.

It's also the best release ever made by Sony studios, according to the Deadline website.

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is the third film in which the hugely popular Spider-Man is played by British actor Tom Holland.

The previous episodes, where the red and blue suit was worn by Tobey Maguire then Andrew Garfield, had also broken the house at the box office.

The story picks up where "Far From Home" left off in 2019, with a Spider-Man whose real identity, Peter Parker, is publicly revealed by the villainous Mysterio.

The high school student is desperately trying to return to anonymity with the help of another Marvel character, Doctor Strange, played by the no less popular Benedict Cumberbatch.

The other weekend films fell far behind.

Disney animated film, "Encanto, the Fantastic Madrigal Family," climbed from third to second, raising around $ 6.5 million this weekend, for a total of $ 81.5 million since its release a month ago.

The film, whose music was composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, follows the adventures of an ordinary teenager, Mirabel, born into a family in which each member is endowed with magical powers, in the heart of the mountains of Colombia.

It relegates to third place "West Side Story," Steven Spielberg's remake of the cult 1961 musical that took the box office lead when it was released last week.

This New Yorker "Romeo and Juliet" grossed $ 3.4 million this weekend by resuming the codes, music and history first performed on Broadway in 1957, bringing it to nearly 18 million dollars in revenue in two weeks.

In fourth place is "Ghostbusters: The Legacy", the latest opus to date from the famous franchise, which recorded $ 3.4 million this weekend, and 117 million in five weeks of screening in theaters.

Directed by Jason Reitman, son of director of the first installment Ivan Reitman, the film takes audiences on a ghost adventure that takes place this time in a small town in Oklahoma, and no longer in Manhattan in the 1980s.

Another weekend release, Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro's new film "Nightmare Alley" comes in fifth with just $ 3 million in revenue, despite a dream cast with Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Willem Dafoe .

The rest of the Top 10:

6. "House of Gucci" ($ 1.9 million)

7. "The Eternals" (1.2 million)

8. "Clifford" (400,000)

9. "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" (280,000)

10. "Dune" (240,000)

© 2021 AFP