'Spider-Man 3' breaks box office records worldwide

Spidey's third outing looks like being his most successful yet, grossing more than $380m over the weekend.

May  8 2007

'Spider-Man 3' smashed box office records worldwide with a mammoth $382 million debut over the weekend.

The film was expected to do well, but no one could have predicted the $231 million grossed from international ticket sales or the $151 million the film made in America, pulverising the previous record held by last year's 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' (which stood at $135.6 million).

The film also became Sony's most successful ever opening in the UK, where it took £16.1 million over the bank holiday weekend.

'More than 80 per cent of the moviegoers around the world chose 'Spider-Man 3' and we couldn't be more overwhelmed or elated by the global reception to this movie,' said Jeff Blake, vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. 'We have always strived to deliver films with great stories that would excite and entertain audiences and credit for that goes first and foremost to our filmmakers and cast.

''Spider-Man 3' builds on the first two films and satisfies the extraordinary expectations of fans everywhere. This was truly a massive achievement not only for Sony Pictures, but the film industry as a whole. Summer is finally here and we expect that moviegoers everywhere will find that the 2007 season will be one to remember.'

And with similarly family-oriented fare like 'Shrek the Third', 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' and 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' all just around the corner, 2007 also looks to be a record-breaker.

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