“Spider-Man 3” breaks records worldwide with special effects marvels

By Damara Popoola

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 5/8/07 – Peter Parker and his arachnid alter-ego have obliterated opening box office records worldwide. Leaving former record holder “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” in the dust, “Spider-Man 3” captured $382 million worldwide in just a matter of days.

The eagerly awaited sequel was destined to exceed expectations given the rave reception audiences gave it when it opened last Tuesday in Italy, France, South Korea, and other countries. Stateside, the Sony picture drew in $151.1 million which amounts to about 22.5 million people packing into theaters to see the superhero.

Along with shattering the weekend records, “Spider-Man 3” also established a new high for single-day earnings domestically and worldwide, $59.8 million and $117.6 million respectively. So it seems the $258 million budget spent on the latest Spidey installment definitely paid off.

The superhero sequel had an unusual six-day weekend, giving it, in some territories, four more days than a traditional weekend. For instance in Japan, it made $26.6 million since opening but during the traditional 2-day weekend it nabbed $10.1 million from 807 screens.

With these kind of figures, it’s no wonder Sony higher-ups are guaranteeing more sequels – with or without stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, or trilogy director Sam Raimi.

“”I’d love to have the whole gang back,” said Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures co-chairman. “We’ve been a family making these last three movies together, but we will be making more ‘Spider-Mans.’”