Hollywood's New Wave

As May began, Hollywood's summer season opened with Universal's Marvel comic-book blockbuster Spider-Man leading the charge;

Spider-Man held grand premiere ceremonies at Los Angeles Universal Studios and New York's Times Square.

Teen idol Britney Spears performed, Spider-Man put on a show, and director Sam Raimi, along with stars James McAvoy, Charlize Theron, and others, attended in full formal attire. Universal spent over 5 million US dollars on the two premieres alone!

Spider-Man opened powerfully in 3,620 theaters across North America, earning 39 million US dollars on Friday, 43 million US dollars on Saturday, and 31 million US dollars on Sunday;

Its three-day opening weekend gross reached 110 million US dollars!

That night, in the bedroom of the Bel Air Villa, Aaron lay atop Charlize Theron and said pleasantly, "See? Our Universal's Spider-Man has even beaten last year's blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in opening-week box office."

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace had opened last year with 105 million US dollars in its first week, but it had been released on a Wednesday, giving it two more days in theaters than Spider-Man!

Charlize Theron smiled. "Yes, Spider-Man's influence really is enormous, though there have also been some negative reviews."

Aaron shook his head. "There are more positive reviews. For a special-effects blockbuster to receive this kind of reception is already very good."

Spider-Man's production budget had approached 130 million US dollars. Fortunately, the director and lead actors were not major stars, so their salaries were very low!

Premiere: "Spider-Man has given this year's summer movies a satisfying start. It is pure entertainment—the kind of film audiences can enjoy without reservation. It has excellent visual effects and dazzling action, but not at the expense of the film's other qualities, allowing Spider-Man to offer audiences a