‘Spider-Man 2’ soars at foreign box office before opening in U.S.

The ‘Spider-Man’ sequel doesn’t swing into North American theaters until next weekend, but the superhero flick is already sticking with moviegoers overseas.

Since launching in a handful of international markets this month, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” had collected an impressive $132 million, according to an estimate from distributor Sony Pictures. The movie is currently playing in roughly 40 foreign markets, performing best in the Britain, Mexico and South Korea.

The picture has yet to open in an additional 30 countries abroad, including major markets like Brazil and China. Two years ago, “The Amazing Spider-Man” made more money in China than any other international market -- about $48 million.

At this pace, the sequel is on track to far exceed the $490 million the original grossed overseas in 2012. Sony Pictures this spring sent the franchise’s stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx on an extensive global press tour to promote the film in Beijing, Sydney and Tokyo. The stars also walked red carpets at glitzy premieres in Berlin, Rome, Paris, London and New York.

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In the U.S. and Canada, ‘Spider-Man 2’ is expected to start off with more than $100 million in sales during its first three days in theaters, according to those who have seen prerelease audience surveys. That would be a fantastic start for the film, whose predecessor took in $137 million in its first six days in theaters. (The first film in director Marc Webb’s series was released over the busy Independence Day holiday, making an apples-to-apples box office comparison tricky.)

The $200-million sequel has so far received largely positive reviews. In the new film, the superhero is forced to protect the Big Apple from a slew of new foes, including Electro (Foxx) and his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan).

“Spider-Man” faces other rivals, too. The sequel will go up against “Godzilla” and “X-Men: Days of Futures Past” -- two other films aimed at young male moviegoers -- later in May.

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