The Amazing Spider-Man 2 swings into U.S. theaters on May 2. Credit: Sony/Columbia Pictures.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is now open in a handful of foreign territories, and appears to be doing well. Is that a sign? Can Sony's (SONY 1.39%) investors expect a huge box office haul for the latest entry in its most important movie franchise?
Host Ellen Bowman puts these questions to analysts Nathan Alderman and Tim Beyers in this week's episode of 1-Up On Wall Street, The Motley Fool's web show in which we talk about the big-money names behind your favorite movies, toys, video games, comics, and more.
Tim says The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is already showing signs of sustainable momentum. During Easter weekend, the movie opened in 14 markets and earned $47 million in grosses. That included $15 million in the U.K., the biggest opening of the year so far. Screenings at IMAX (IMAX 0.66%) theaters brought in $2.3 million -- or an incredible $47,000 average across 50 screens.
Despite this, Nathan says the movie may be forcing too much, too fast. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 introduces three distinct villains while setting the stage for a series of spinoff movies, including The Sinister Six from writer-director Drew Goddard and Venom from writer Alex Kurtzman. Audiences may find the additional story points overwhelming, leading to bad word of mouth and a mediocre CinemaScore.
Tim acknowledges the concerns while noting that, so far, critics mostly like what they've seen of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Of the 65 surveyed at Rotten Tomatoes, 72% certify the film as fresh, about in line with its predecessor. Regardless, Nathan and Tim agree that Sony needs a big box office win to further the franchise and fill the gaps left with the studio selling Spider-Man merchandising rights back to Walt Disney (DIS 1.27%) in 2011.
Now it's your turn to weigh in using the comments box below. What do you expect from The Amazing Spider-Man 2? Do you believe the movie will be a catalyst for Sony stock? Click the video to watch as Ellen puts Nathan and Tim on the spot, and then be sure to follow us on Twitter for more segments and regular geek news updates!
