Variety reports that Spider-Man 3 will open first worldwide in Japan, on May 1, Sony Pictures International Japan has announced. It will also get its world premiere in Tokyo.
The premieere will be held at the Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills in central Tokyo on April 16, with director Sam Raimi, Stan Lee and stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco in attendance.
Sony had long scheduled a May opening for Spider-Man 3 but only recently decided on the May 1 date, three days ahead of its US release. The exact number of screens has yet to be decided but will be north of 400.
The distributor aims to beat the record of its big 2006 May release, The Da Vinci Code, which finished with Y9.05 billion ($77.4 million). Spider-Man 2, which opened in July 2004, grossed Y6.7 billion ($57.3 million) and Spider-Man, which bowed in May of 2002, ended with Y7.5 billion ($64.1 million).
Source: Variety
