The summer popcorn season began during the first weekend of May, with another superhero flick selling tickets on a heroic level.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, starring Andrew Garfield, Jamie Foxx, Emma Stone, Paul Giamatti, and Sally Field, premiered with $92 million in sales, according to studio estimates gathered by Rentrak.
“Superhero box office appeal is apparently boundless,” said movie industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Notably, a Marvel movie has kicked off every summer movie season since 2007.”
Spidey had the second-highest opening gross of the year, just behind Captain America: The Winter Solider and its $95 million debut one month ago.
The Other Woman was in second place, with an estimated $14.2 million this weekend and $47 million gross over two weeks.
Rounding out the 10 most-popular movies this week, as estimated by the studios, were Heaven Is For Real ($8.7 million), Captain America: The Winter Solider ($7.8 million), Rio 2 ($7.6 million), Brick Mansions ($2.2 million), Divergent ($2.2 million), The Quiet Ones ($2 million), God’s Not Dead ($1.8 million), and The Grand Budapest Hotel ($1.8 million).
Coincidentally, while The Amazing Spider-Man 2 claimed the box office thrown last weekend, one of the film’s cast members – Field – will receive her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the morning of May 5.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 also christened the brand new iPic Theaters in Westwood, as the Marvel film opened the new six-screen multiplex on Wilshire Boulevard.
Additional reporting by Parimal M. Rohit.