RUMOR MILL
Playing in 3,615 theaters, Spider-Man averaged $31,535 per location, a new high for films opening in 3,000 or more cinemas.
Monday, May 6, 2002
SPIDER-MAN LEAPS TO RECORD
Film Scores Over $100 Million in Debut but Does it Have Legs?
Spider-Man has leaped from the comic books to the record books, becoming the first movie to hit $100 million in its first weekend. The live-action adaptation shattered boxoffice records with a $114 million debut, surpassing the previous best of $90.3 million taken in by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone during its first three days last fall.
With $39.3 million on Friday and $43.7 million on Saturday, director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man also beat the single-day record of $33.5 million set by Harry Potter in its second day, according to the Associated Press.
Playing in 3,615 theaters, Spider-Man averaged $31,535 per location, a new high for films opening in 3,000 or more cinemas, running about $7,000 ahead of the old record held by Harry Potter. Spider-Man also was the fastest movie to reach $100 million, passing Harry Potter and Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace, which both took five days to climb to $105 million.
With few big films opening this past weekend or next, Spider-Man has a fairly wide-open field until the new Star Wars film opens May 16.
