Blockbuster season is officially here and audiences came out in droves to see their first vernal idol swing circles around his hapless foes. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 racked up $92 million in its domestic opening weekend. Though it fell short of it’s $100 million plus projection, Marc Webb’s second interpretation of the web-slinging super hero still made a commendable debut in its home territory. Success continued abroad as well, with a huge $10.4 million Chinese Sunday opening and an even more astounding $6.5 million launch in India, the largest ever for a Hollywood production.
Strong numbers were recorded in the rest of Asia, including $5.2 million from Indonesia and $3.5 million from Singapore (which has 1/46 the population of the former.) A $10.6 million launch in France and a $10.5 million debut in Brazil, which were 32% and 76% higher than the previous installment, helped Spider-Man to a $116 million take for the week through Sony Pictures Releasing International. Together with the $227 million generated in it’s first two weeks and in spite a certain amount of “thunder” it lost to the unexpected success of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has already generated a global cumulative of $369 million. While pole position this week clearly belonged to Sony, Fox Studios will be happy to don the silver and bronze medals for this weekend’s international contest. Rio 2 showed its staying power as the animated feature, released March 20, added $24.5 million in its sixth week in theaters. The Fox Animation property has now grossed 289.1 million overseas. At home, the Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway voiced picture picked up another $7.6 million, finishing fifth on the North American charts. So far it has grossed $393.2 Million worldwide and with little animated competition Fox expects sales to continue fairly steadily into July. Their second point of celebration was The Other Woman’s $19.5 million performance abroad. The chick-flick, helmed by Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Kate Upton, opened in 15 new markets over the weekend including Germany where female moviegoers helped the picture to a $4.4million, number one debut. A Russian debut saw it take the number three spot with $2.3 million from 1,617 screens. Combined with this week’s second place domestic take of 14.2 million, director Nick Cassavetes’ three beauties have made $31 million a piece for a grateful 20th Century Fox.
Heaven Is For Real made an additional $8.5 million this weekend and finished 3rd in North America. Its $65 million cumulative take is now ahead of Christian counterpart Son of God’s nonetheless astonishing $59 million haul. Despite finally being knocked off its perch by Spider-Man, fellow Marvel Studios property Captain America: The Winter Soldier still managed a significant $7.7 million dollar week at home with another $10 million coming from international markets. It has become the 5th most successful Western film of all time in China where it’s $115.8 million haul accounted for over a quarter of it’s overseas receipts. After keeping nearly 30% of the domestic box-office for the month of April, the phenomenally well-received thriller has now garnered $237 million at home and $680 million worldwide. This, for comparison, is 1.8 times greater than the original’s entire run.
The world may have a new hero in Spider-Man but for Spaniards there was still no break in their love affair with domestic production Ocho Apellidos Vascos. Now in its eighth weekend on top of the charts in its home country the romantic comedy, also known as Spanish Affairs, has earned an immense 69.6 million. What Affairs has done in Spain, Disney’s Frozen continues to do around the world. The animated juggernaut had an incredible $11.1 million weekend in Japan, where it was released on March 14. It is now just $46 million from wresting the number 5 all-time spot away from Iron Man 3.