Spider-Man laughs all the way to the bank

The Amazing Spider-Man has proved to be a real superhero at the Indian boxoffice, raking in close to Rs34.5 crore in its three-day weekend since release on Friday.

This is the biggest ever opening for a Hollywood film in India, and the trade guesses the web-slinger's latest adventure is on its way to becoming the biggest Hollywood hit of all time in the country.

The film, which opened in 13 countries including India on Friday ahead of its July 3 release in the U.S., has seen a similar thumping response in every market, grossing $50.2 million worldwide.

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'We were expecting a solid opening for Spider-Man. The way the film has maintained a steady graph in ticket sales over the weekend, it won't be surprising if The Amazing Spider-Man ends up as the biggest Hollywood grosser of all time in India,' says Ashish Saksena, COO, Big Cinemas.

'Even Sunday night shows all across were full, and the audience - largely college-goers - have ensured that Monday morning was strong for the film, too,' Saksena adds. 


Opening weekend statistics for the film, released with 1,000 prints across India, beats the initials of the Tom Cruise-starrer, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, which earned a little over Rs24 crore in its first three days when it released last December. James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster Avatar managed Rs22 crore in its first weekend while The Avengers, earning Rs18 crore in its first weekend in India in April, has so far been this year's biggest Hollywood hit in the domestic market.

The new Spidey flick has also seen a 74 per cent higher first-weekend collection than the last film of the franchise, Spider-Man 3.

'Spiderman: Fri - 8.50 cr, Sat - 9.75 cr, total 18.25 cr nett... Mind-boggling biz of #TheAvengers and #The Amazing Spiderman in India should act as an eyeopener. Don't underestimate the Hollywood biggies!' tweeted trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

Of the 1,000 prints released across 1,500 screens in India, 500 are in 3D format and demand for the 3D version is higher than that for the traditional 2D shows.

'The response for the IMAX and 3D versions has been 100 per cent. Those opting for the 2D versions over the weekend only did so because IMAX and 3D were sold out,' says Saksena.

While Sony refused to officially reveal box-office figures on Monday, trade sources say even the dubbed Hindi version of the film has done better than Maximum, the week's only Bollywood release.



BY: DailyMail  (Vinayak Chakravorty)