Spidey 3 passes $53 mil in Japan

Film opened on 807 screens on May 1

By MARK SCHILLING

TOKYO -- "Spider-Man 3" passed the Y6.5 billion ($53.7 million) mark on June 1 here, making it the second highest grosser in the franchise after "Spider-Man," according to distrib Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan.

Latter pic finished its Japan run with $57.8 million. However, SPEJ expects "Spidey 3" to top that, earning between $58.7 million and $59.5 million.  

Opening on 807 screens on May 1, "Spidey 3" recorded Y3.2 billion ($26.3 million) on 2,578,255 admissions in six days -- the fastest any Hollywood pic has hit Y3 billion.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: World's End" reached the Y6 billion ($49.6 million) milestone on Saturday after only 17 days on release.

Bowing on May 25 on 885 screens nationwide, "Pirates 3" scooped $16 million in its first three days, setting a foreign pic record for the Japanese market. The previous record holder, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," scored $15.6 million in its first three days in 2002.