Peter Parker may have to reckon with an army of villains in his latest adventure, but The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a little luckier than that at the theaters. The super sequel, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Jamie Foxx, has zero opening weekend competition and flexed its muscles appropriately with a mighty $35.5 million Friday from 4,324 locations. That’s an $8,210 per screen average.
Sony’s Spidey earned $8.7 million from late Thursday showings (included in the $35.5 million total), putting it right in between Disney/Marvel’s recent sequels Thor: The Dark World ($7.1 million) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s ($10.2 million). Despite mixed reviews, the PG-13 rated film played well with audiences who turned out for late Thursday and Friday showings, earning an A- Cinema Score from the under 25 crowd and a B+ overall. The critical and audience discrepancy is not uncommon for a massive super hero movie like this though — especially among those inclined to flock to the theater opening day.
Analysts are predicting an overall weekend take of $92-$97 million, though there is some hope that it could manage to break the $100 million mark. Both scenarios would be good news for Sony and their plans to create a universe of films focused on Spider-Man’s enemies, including the Sinister Six.
Internationally, the Marc Webb-directed pic is performing phenomenally well, smashing opening day records in Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia. All eyes should be on Sunday’s China opening.
Outside of Spideyland, Fox’s The Other Woman is holding strong with $4.8 million. If it drops less than 60 percent in its second weekend we can solidly say that the revenge rom-com is a broad success. The Christian-themed Heaven Is for Real (Sony) continues to show its staying power with a $2.4 million Friday, putting it on track to soar pass Son of God’s total domestic earnings after only three weeks in theaters. Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Rio 2 round out the top five with $2.07 million and $1.73 million respectively.
Here’s the top five:
1. The Amazing-Spider Man 2 – $35.5 million
2. The Other Woman – $4.8 million (domestic total: $37.95 million)
3. Heaven Is for Real — $2.4 million (domestic total: $59.3 million)
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier — $2.07 million (domestic total: $231.5 million)
5. Rio 2 – $1.73 million (domestic total: $100.6 million)
In the speciality box office world, Fox Searchlight’s Belle earned an estimated $30,728 from four theaters — a nice $7,682 per screen average for the period drama about a mixed race woman (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) coming of age in 18th century England. And, like its heroine, Focus Features’ Elizabeth Banks comedy Walk of Shame (also available on VOD) was not as lucky, pulling in a poor $14K from 51 theaters.
