From left, Peni, voiced by Kimiko Glen, Spider-Gwen, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, Spider-Ham, voiced by John Mulaney, Miles Morales, voiced by Shameik Moore, Peter Parker, voiced by Jake Johnson, Spider-Man Noir, voiced by Nicolas Cage appear in a scene from “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

LOS ANGELES — “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” swung to the top of the domestic box office in its first weekend in theaters, proving that there is widespread audience interest in big screen animated versions of Marvel’s marquee superheroes.

The film led a host of newcomers that debuted to varying success on this pre-Christmas holiday weekend, including Clint Eastwood’s drug smuggling drama “The Mule” and the Peter Jackson-produced epic “Mortal Engines” which bombed in North American theaters.

“Into the Spider-Verse” earned an estimated $35.4 million from 3,813 theaters against a $90 million production budget according to Sony Pictures on Sunday, which is a record for animated movies in December.

“Spider-Verse” has been very well-received among critics, and audiences in exit surveys gave it a rare A+ CinemaScore — a first for a Spider-Man film. It’s also been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best animated feature.

The Clint Eastwood-directed drug smuggling drama “The Mule” debuted in second place with an estimated $17.2 million. It’s a solid debut for R-rated film that cost $50 million to produce. The Warner Bros. film drew an audience that was mostly older (78 percent over 35-years-old) and male (54 percent).

Not all the new films were so lucky, however. Coming in fifth behind holdovers “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” was the Peter Jackson-produced epic “Mortal Engines,” which bombed in North American theaters, taking in only $7.5 million in ticket sales against a reported $100 million production budget.

This weekend also saw the release of the PG-13 rated version of “Deadpool 2,” “Once Upon A Deadpool,” in 1,566 locations. It earned an estimated $2.6 million,

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.

1. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” $35.4 million

2. “The Mule,” $17.2 million.

3. “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” $11.6 million

4. “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” $9.6 million

5. “Mortal Engines,” $7.5 million

6. “Creed II,” $5.4 million

7. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” $4.1 million

8. “Instant Family,” $3.7 million

9.” “Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald,” $3.7 million

10. “Green Book,” $2.8 million.