Spiderman grips the Philippines
2007-05-01 13:30
Manila - The third and latest installment in the 'Spiderman' movie franchise opened strongly in Philippine cinemas on Tuesday as audiences packed theatres to overcapacity, cinema managers said.
Although total ticket sales were not immediately available, managers of some of the 150 theatres screening the movie across the country said it looked likely to be one of the biggest hits of the year.
"All of our cinemas that are showing Spiderman 3 are sold out," said May Felipe, manager of the theatres at the "Market! Market!" mall in suburban Manila where five of the seven screens are showing the movie.
People were even willing to stand throughout the movie when there were no longer any seats available, Felipe said.
"All tickets are sold out. It is amazing," said Henry Balingit, advertising official of the Power Plant mall where five of six theaters are showing Spiderman 3.
All the seats for every theatre have been taken, Balingit said.
The potential summer blockbuster has opened in the Philippines, Japan and other major Asian markets on May 1, three days before the United States.
The previous two Spiderman films have raked in more than $1.6bn worldwide since the first was released in 2002, making it one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.
- AFP