Spider-Man 3 Breaks Box-Office Records

LOS ANGELES, May 7: Despite mixed reviews, Sony’s Spider-Man
3 broke opening-weekend box-office records
in the U.S., earning $148 million since its launch Friday, beating the $135.6
million earned by Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest in its first weekend last summer.

The third in the franchise, directed by Sam Raimi and
starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, also set a single-day record Friday
with $59.3 million in box-office revenues, again beating the previous record
held by Pirates.

Worldwide, meanwhile, the film has generated a reported $375
million since its international debut May 1. Opening-weekend records were
reportedly set in Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, Italy, Mexico and Brazil.

Sony is said to already be preparing a fourth in the
franchise, but reports indicate that director Raimi has not yet committed to
returning. Stars Maguire and Dunst have also not yet committed to additional
sequels.