Weekend Box Office (July 7 - 9, 2017)
THIS WEEKEND Spidey gets another reboot, but this time the webslinger has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe which has fans excited. Being such a lucrative property with broad appeal across the globe, it was only fitting that a new take on the super hero be taken and Spider-Man: Homecoming enters the marketplace with strong buzz ready to be a summer blockbuster.
The PG-13 film from Sony features the latest actor playing the masked guy and his debut in a supporting role in last summer's Captain America: Civil War passed with flying colors opening the door for wide acceptance for his first full movie. Reviews have been terrific which will do a lot to help convince unsure action fans to go out and buy a ticket to the sixth Spider-Man movie of the past 15 years.
We've seen franchise fatigue hit action tentpoles like Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean which each rolled out their fifth chapters this summer. But Homecoming is bringing more to the table and so it stands a good chance of becoming the third super hero movie this season to break into the $300M domestic club.
Iron Man's role in the film has been a vital part of the marketing push from the beginning. His golden box office touch has boosted grosses for so many films. Certainly there will be some audiences who feel they have seen enough of Spidey on the big screen and don't need another adventure.
But since Wonder Woman, big budget action vehicles have not met with too much excitement so popcorn fans are ready to rally right now behind something new that's big. Opening in over 4,300 theaters, Spider-Man: Homecoming may take in about $102M this weekend.
Despicable Me 3 held the top spot for one week and showed franchise erosion in the process. Peter Parker will take away a sizable amount of kids this weekend so the sophomore drop may end up being about 55%. That would put Universal at around $34M for the frame and $149M overall.
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Watch the trailer for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
LAST YEAR Toon giant The Secret Life of Pets opened big at number one with $104.4M on its way to $368.4M for Universal. Holdovers The Legend of Tarzan and Finding Dory followed with $21M and $20.8M, respectively. Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates debuted weak with $16.6M on its way to just $46M for Fox. The Purge: Election Year rounded out the top fve with $12.4M.
This column is updated three times each week: Thursday (upcoming weekend's summary), Sunday (post-weekend analysis with estimates), and Monday night (actuals). Opinions expressed in this column are those solely of the author.
Last Updated: July 6, 2017 at 4:45PM ET
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