‘Amazing Spider-Man’ is off to a solid (if less than amazing) start
After a full day in theaters, “The Amazing Spider-Man” has pulled $35 million into its web.
The $230-million production starring Andrew Garfield, which hit cinemas at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, gathered $7.5 million from post-midnight screenings, then continued to do solid business over the course of the day. Those who turned up to see the movie gave it an average grade of A-minus, according to market research firm CinemaScore.
Still, the film made less on its opening day than any of the previous three “Spider-Man” movies did during their first 24 hours in theaters. In 2002, the original movie grossed $39.4 million on a Friday, and that picture did not have the advantage of pricier 3-D or Imax ticket sales.
The movie, which is playing in more than 4,000 locations, will face the toughest competition this week from Seth McFarlane’s R-rated “Ted.” After getting off to a stellar start last weekend, the raunchy comedy featuring a potty-mouthed teddy bear made an additional $8.7 million on Monday alone.
Industry polling suggests that “The Amazing Spider-Man” will now probably end up with a respectable sum of about $140 million by Sunday, though Sony still predicts the movie will collect no more than $120 million during its first six days of release.
The highest-grossing “Spider-Man” film was the third installment, which made $890.9 million worldwide in 2007. Roughly 62% of the tickets for “Spider-Man 3” were sold overseas, and it’s likely the new Spidey flick will also perform better abroad. Last weekend alone, the movie sold $50.2 million worth of tickets in just 13 countries.
Another new 3-D film will enter the marketplace Thursday, when “Katy Perry: Part of Me” debuts at the multiplex. The concert film/documentary hybrid follows the massively successful pop star on her recent California Dreams tour as she simultaneously experiences career highs and personal lows when her marriage to comedian Russell Brand crumbles.
The movie is likely to gross a modest $13 million by Sunday, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. On Monday, distributor Paramount Pictures held preview screenings of the movie for Perry’s Twitter followers in an attempt to spread word of mouth via social media.
The movie, which has received enthusiastic critical reviews, collected $200,000 from 100 theaters during the one-day engagement.
“Part of Me” is the third film from Paramount Pictures’ Insurge label, the studio’s outlet for “micro-budget” movies aimed at young audiences. The $12-million documentary is meant to follow in the footsteps of a similar film about Justin Bieber, “Never Say Never,” which cost $13 million to make and ended up grossing $98 million worldwide last year.
But the Bieber flick debuted with a far more robust $29.5 million. It’s somewhat perplexing that Perry’s film is not generating nearly equal interest among her fans, given that she has sold 11 million albums worldwide and has 22.5 million followers on Twitter. (Bieber has sold 15 million albums and has 24.3 million followers.)
