Entertainment News Roundup: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Continues Box Office Domination, Crosses $600 Million in North America; Betty White, working actress into her 90s, dies just shy of her 100th birthday and more

The comic book sequel, starring Tom Holland as Marvel's favorite neighborhood web-slinger, towered over domestic box office charts for the third weekend in a row. After "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the next highest-grossing tentpole of COVID-19 times is Disney and Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" with $224 million domestically.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Continues Box Office Domination, Crosses $600 Million in North America

Another weekend, another chance for Sony's superhero adventure "Spider-Man: No Way Home" to flex its box office dominance. The comic book sequel, starring Tom Holland as Marvel's favorite neighborhood web-slinger, towered over domestic box office charts for the third weekend in a row. "No Way Home" captured $52.7 million over the New Year's holiday frame, boosting its domestic tally to $609 million. It extends an epic streak for the latest Spidey adventure, which continues to deliver the kind of ticket sales it would have been expected to make in pre-pandemic times. No other blockbuster has been able to come close to reaching similar box office heights, at least in the U.S. and Canada. After "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the next highest-grossing tentpole of COVID-19 times is Disney and Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" with $224 million domestically. Without any real competition until Paramount's scary sequel "Scream," the fifth installment in the slasher series, opens on Jan. 14, Holland's teen vigilante will keep raking in the dough.

Betty White, working actress into her 90s, dies just shy of her 100th birthday

Comedic actress Betty White, who capped a career of more than 80 years by becoming America's geriatric sweetheart after Emmy-winning roles on television sitcoms "The Golden Girls" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," died on Friday, less than three weeks shy of her 100th birthday. The agent, Jeff Witjas, told People magazine: "Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever." No cause was cited.

(With inputs from agencies.)