"Spider-Man 3" sold an estimated $148 million worth of tickets during its first weekend in North America, easily beating the opening record set last year by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," distributor Columbia Pictures said on Sunday. Additionally, the superhero saga has earned $227 million at the foreign box office since beginning its international campaign on May 1, the Sony Corp.-owned studio said.
The worldwide total of $375 million -- revised up from an earlier tally of $373 million -- is the highest opening since 2005, when "Stars Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" opened to $254 million. The previous North American opening-weekend of $135.6 million was set last July by Walt Disney Co.
's "Pirates" sequel. The third installment in that trilogy opens across North America in three weeks. "Spider-Man 3," which Columbia said cost $258 million to produce, also set a single-day record with Friday sales of $59.
3 million, beating the $55.8 million record also held by the "Pirates" sequel. The film set opening-weekend records in Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, Italy, Mexico and Brazil, Columbia said.
Weekend sales in Japan totaled $26.5 million, followed by Britain with $23 million and France with $22 million. As with its predecessors, "Spider-Man 3" stars Tobey Maguire as both the titular crime fighter and as earnest newshound Peter Parker, and Kirsten Dunst as his disenchanted girlfriend, Mary Jane.
Sam Raimi directs. Spider-Man gets to explore his dark side, thanks to some extraterrestrial black goo that infects his personality, and to combat three villains, played by series veteran James Franco and newcomers Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace. His nerdy alter ego must also fight to keep Mary Jane.
This was all too much for some otherwise-friendly critics. The New York Post said the 140-minute film was "overly long and complicated," while Entertainment Weekly said it was sometimes a "dispirited sprawl.
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