May 4, 2007 at 1:32 AM EDT
LOS ANGELES Everyone in Hollywood expects a big summer.
The industry will get an idea of just how big after this weekend, when Spider-Man 3 opens a season laden with more potential blockbusters than the movie business has ever seen.
Will the third adventure of Tobey Maguire's web-slinger surpass the then-record $114.8-million (U.
S.) opening weekend in North America for Spider-Man in 2002? Will it rival last year's record-breaking $135.
6-million weekend of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest?
Spider-Man movies earned $26.2-million combined in those countries on opening day, Variety reports.
The film had the best opening day ever in some countries, including France, Italy, South Korea and Hong Kong, distributor Sony Pictures said.
Tobey Maguire greets fans at the premiere of Spider-Man 3 in New York last month. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
ldquo;I can tell you that the numbers are stupendous.
We've had a tremendous amount in terms of advanced sales for private screenings for groups and corporations, rdquo; said Pat Marshall, executive vice-president of communications at Cineplex Entertainment.
Spider-Man is a worldwide franchise, and the thing we're most excited about is that in two pretty completely separate parts of the world we've gotten off to a great start, rdquo; Jeff Blake, Sony vice-chairman, said this week. ldquo;We certainly hope for the same in North America.
rdquo;
In North America, the first Spider-Man opened with a then-record $114.8-million in its first weekend. Spider-Man 2 opened on a Wednesday before the Fourth of July weekend in 2004, pulling in a record $180.
1-million in its first six days. The two previous films combined for a total of $1.6-billion worldwide.
Spider-Man 3 took in $6.8-million on opening day, more than the first-day grosses there for Spider-Man 2 combined. It grossed $4.
6-million in Germany, $4-million in Italy, $3.7-million in Japan, $3.4-million in South Korea, $1.
1-million in the Philippines and $1-million each in Hong Kong and Thailand.
Spider-Man 3 in Europe, Asia and North America close to one another to give thieves less time to make and sell bootlegged copies, Sony Pictures vice-chairman Jeff Blake said. ldquo;It's the right strategy to both maximize the gross and to bring everybody in on it right away, and also to fight piracy, rdquo; Blake said.
Hollywood studios are paying more attention to sales outside the U.S. and Canada.
International sales rose 14 per cent to $16.3-billion last year. ldquo;There are untapped audiences, rdquo; said Hal Vogel, an independent entertainment analyst in New York.
ldquo;Let's face it, the U.S. market is kind of mature and tapped out.
rdquo;
Still, it's this weekend's North American numbers that will really tell Spidey's tale. Industry bible Variety reports that the film is bowing in a record 4,253 screens continent-wide today. ldquo;There is no better way to start a summer than with a Spider-Man film, rdquo; said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
ldquo;If you had to create a template for the perfect summer movie season, this is pretty much it. rdquo;
Hollywood could have its first $4-billion summer, topping the record $3.95-billion haul from the first weekend in May through Labour Day in 2004.
Factoring in higher admission prices, modern Hollywood's best summer for attendance came in 2002 with 653 million tickets sold, another record that could fall.
Spider-Man 3 does will be a sign of how much Hollywood can expect from the onslaught of films to follow.
Shrek the Third, with Mike Myers back as the voice of the crusty ogre in the franchise whose second instalment is the highest-grossing animated film ever with $436.
7-million domestically.
Dead Man's Chest, last year's biggest hit with $423.3-million.
Spider-Man flicks mdash; are among the top-10 highest-grossing pictures ever.
Hollywood always schedules big leadoff batters in May, but the month has never packed three heavy-hitters like this. They could combine to lift Hollywood to its busiest Memorial Day ever, topping 2004's record of $246.
2-million over the four-day weekend.
ldquo;You've seen three pictures in May do just tremendous business in the past, but I think with these three pictures, you're going to see numbers like you've never seen before, rdquo; said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. ldquo;Theatres are just going to be a happening place.
They're going to be absolutely the place to be over Memorial Day weekend. rdquo;
The question is how well the three movies can do against one another.
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