I didn't like the movie that much, but I have to give the movie its props... $223 million in <b>nine</b> days. So far, it's set records for: Largest opening weekend Largest second weekend Fastest to $100 million (two days) Fastest to $200 million (nine days) It will probably break the record for the fastest to $300 million, also. The only thing that will slow it down is Attack of the Clones, but I don't know if even Star Wars is capable of stopping Spiderman from dethroning Titanic. Usually, a film like this gets a huge opening weekend gross and then suffers a big drop off in it's second weekend, but Spiderman only slid 37% it's second weekend. Here's something else to ponder. Is Attack of the Clones in danger of NOT opening at #1 this weekend? I don't think a Star Wars film has ever debuted lower than #1, but someone will have to check that one for me. The multiplexes should be dropping some of their Spiderman prints to get as many Star Wars prints as possible, so Star Wars should reign supreme this weekend.
more... 'Spider-Man' spins record $223.6 million By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY Moviegoers have been bitten by the Spider-Man bug. In its second weekend, the movie did more bang-up action, breaking the $200 million mark in only nine days — the fastest ever to reach that milestone. The web slinger snatched an estimated $72 million Friday to Sunday, bringing its total to $223.6 million, according to Nielsen EDI, which tracks box office receipts. Broke Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone's $57.5 million record for second weekend take. Has the first- and fourth-highest weekend grosses of all time. Weekend 2 follows its own record $114.8 million debut and the openings of Potter ($90.3 million) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park ($72.1 million). "The second-week figures would have been a great opening number," says Nielsen analyst Dan Marks. "It's shattered just about every box office record by a mile." Dropped only 37% from its opening. After huge openings, event pictures often nosedive by 50% or more in their second weekend because so many people already have seen them. "This is one of those second weekends that's almost more impressive than the first, if that's possible," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Has drawn an average $22.3 million a day since it opened, and its $36.8 million weekday box office total is second only to Potter. Thursday was the film's weakest day, when it did $7.5 million. By comparison, seven of the top 10 films did less business than that for the entire weekend. Surpassed Ice Age as the year's top-grossing film in just over a week. Age has taken in $170.8 million in two months. Marks says that with broad demographic appeal — audiences are nearly evenly split between male and female — Spider-Man should hold up well next weekend, even though it faces Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Says Jeff Blake, head of distribution for Spider-Man studio Sony: "I'd say we have No. 2 locked up for next weekend." While the superhero faces stiff competition from upcoming event films and likely won't have the momentum that made Titanic ($600.8 million) the all-time box office champ, Blake predicts the film will end up among the top five films overall. After Titanic, there's Star Wars ($461 million); Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace ($431.1 million); E.T. ($400 million); and Jurassic Park ($357.1 million). New films aren't exactly suffering, though. The thriller Unfaithful opened to a healthy $14.2 million in 2,613 theaters, 1,000 fewer than Spider-Man. The comedy The New Guy was No. 3 with $9.5 million.
By the way, the reviews on project greenlight (the HBO movie sponsored by Ben Affleck and Goofball) are all good. I'm having a hard time believing this movie is actually good, but apparently it is. Everything about this movie tells me to say away.
Titanic had some luck behind it, opening in December and basically having theaters to itself for four months. Spider-man has opened in the summer and, therefore, will gradually dwindle as a number of other blockbusters open. However, whoever imagined these numbers? And the other potential blockbusters are relatively few through June (Attack of the Bad Dialogue, Minority Report). Prediction: $450 million domestic.
I think the biggest thing about Titanic was that it was good enough to stay in the theaters long enough to reach Valentine's Day, and then every girlfriend and wife was dragging their significant other to go see it with them AGAIN. "Oh, poor Jack. It's so sad that he died. He certainly couldn't have found a way to survive. He obviously tried his hardest to fit two people on that bit of floating wreckage. Let's all feel sorry for him, because he is truly a noble character."
