Spider-Man set a new record for the biggest box office opening in history with an estimated $114 million gross over the three day weekend. This crushed the previous $90 million record set by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone last November. Friday's gross was $39 million (a record), Saturday's $44 million (a record), and Sunday's estimate was $31 million. The per-theater average of $31,535 broke the record for films opening in over 3,000 theaters. Spider-Man also broke the record for fastest movie to break $100 million set by Harry Potter.
There are a number of obvious implications for pop culture stores. First is the opportunity to aggressively merchandise and market Spider-Man to bring fans of the movie into your store. Second, with gross profit participation, Marvel will benefit financially, and the improvement in Marvel's financial condition will make it a more reliable supplier in the future (Variety quoted Marvel's Avi Arad as saying, 'We're in the Promised Land....We finally have a seat at the table.') Third, this will raise the profile of comics in general and superheroes in particular, creating many additional opportunities in the future.
