Box Office: ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Eyeing $37 Million Friday for $90 Million-Plus Weekend

Superhero sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is casting a strong web at the Friday box office and should swing past  $90 million in its North American debut. 

Heading into the weekend, pre-release tracking suggested the Sony tentpole, which officially kicks off the summer season, might cross $95 million and best the opening of recent blockbuster Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That could still happen, particularly if families turn out in force on Saturday, as Sony is hoping.

PHOTOS: ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Premiere

Director Marc Webb reteamed with stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone to make the $200 million-plus sequel, which features an array of new castmembers, including Jamie Foxx as the villain Electro and Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, Spider-Man’s friend turned nemesis. Paul Giamatti plays Rhino, a third bad guy.

Comparisons to The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) are complicated since that film opened Tuesday of Fourth of July week, taking in $137 million in its first six days, including $62 million for the weekend. Amazing Spider-Man topped out at $752.2 million globally, successfully relaunching the marquee franchise post Tobey Maguire.    

Amazing Spider-Man 2 has already earned nearly $150 million overseas, where it began rolling out two weeks ago. It opens in another raft of markets this weekend, including in China on Sunday.

Summer almost always begins with a Marvel Comics superhero tentpole. In 2012, Marvel and Disney’s The Avengers netted an astounding $207.4 million on its first weekend in May, the highest opening of all time for any time of the year. Last year, Iron Man 3 took in $174.1 million; Thor grossed $65.7 million in 2011; and X-Men Origins: Wolverine made $85.1 million in 2009.

PHOTOS: Spider-Man’s 50-Year History

Spider-Man 3, debuting to $151.1 million in 2007, is the No. 3 May opener of all time after Avengers and Iron Man 3.

No other movie dared premiere nationwide opposite Amazing-Spider Man 2, but launching at the specialty box office is Fox Searchlight’s British period drama Belle, directed by Amma Asante and starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Matthew Goode and Emily Watson.