‘Spider-Man’ sets records in Asia
“Spider-Man 3,” the first in a wave of high-profile, big-budget sequels coming from Hollywood this summer, set opening-day records Tuesday after its early release in Asia, Sony Pictures said.
The movie racked up the biggest opening-day grosses ever in South Korea, at about $3.4 million, and in Hong Kong, at $1 million. It also posted the biggest single-day grosses ever in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
“Spider-Man 3” also opened strongly in Japan and Taiwan, eclipsing the previous installments of the franchise, Sony said. In Japan, it hauled in about $3.5 million.
Estimates were not available for eight European markets in which the movie, starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, also opened Tuesday.
The movie launches Friday in the U.S. and Canada, where some analysts expect it to challenge the $135.6-million record for an opening weekend set last year by “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”
“Spider-Man 3” already appears to have one domestic record in the bag: the widest release ever. It will play at 4,235 theaters.