"Spider-Man" surpassed all expectations by doing an astounding $114, 844,116 at the box office over its first three days of release. Predictions for the opening weekend had ranged from $60-70 million, but no prognosticators even came within webslinging distance of the real figure.
According to "Variety," "Spider-Man" broke many records during its opening weekend, including a first day release record with $39 million in total box office. Rolling out at 3,600+ theatres, director Sam Raimi's film not only broke but completely shattered existing records by going 26% over and above the previous opening weekend box office record holder ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" at $90.3 million).
"Spider-Man" broke the following records during its opening weekend:
*Best Opening in Box Office History
*Best Single Day Gross (Saturday, May 4, 2002, at $43,622,264)
*Fastest Film to Cross $100 million (3 days)
*Biggest Per Screen Average for a Wide Release ($31,769)
"Spider-Man" also set records in its international debut with record-breaking openings in Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, The Phillipines, and Thailand. "It took a superhero to deliver these historic numbers," says Jeff Blake, President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution for Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. "The magnitude of this achievement is staggering by every standard and 'Spider-Man's' success is a wonderful tribute to a character that has meant so much to so many people for the past 40 years. The cast and filmmakers were dedicated to Stan Lee's imaginative vision, and Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst deserve our thanks and all the credit for bringing 'Spider-Man' to life in such a magnificent, memorable and exciting way."
"Spider-Man" has received overwhelming positive reviews, and word-of-mouth - along with a strong comic book fan base - helped deliver these extraordinary box office numbers. Lead actor Tobey Maguire has been singled out by many critics as having turned in the perfect superhero performance.
"Spider-Man" will soon be facing box office competition when George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones" hits theatres on Thursday, May 16th. This should make theatre owners very happy as advance reviews for "Episode II" have praised the film and sparked renewed interest in the franchise.
UPDATED JULY 6, 2004 WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Spider-Man 2" Box Office Figures
"Spider-Man 2" Photos, Trailer and Reviews
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