Summer Catch

Is the record-busting performance of Spider-Man 3 over the weekend safe from defeat--regardless, of the competition--that's yet to come over the next few months?

And where will you be able to see the summer blockbuster, once its theatrical run is over, after the film makes it to DVD, Pay Per-View and premium cable

Ian Mohr of Variety tries to answer the first question...with a question of his own

In Hollywood's ongoing quest for bigger blockbuster openings, just how wide can a summer pic go?

After "Spider-Man 3" cracked the record for widest release of all time by swinging into 4,252 theaters in its opening weekend, it might follow that an onslaught of summer sequels -- including third installments of the "Shrek" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchises -- would try to top that number.

Since Spidey was the first of the summer tentpoles to hit the multiplexes, however, there won't be as many screens for newer films to occupy.

B.O. records may still fall this summer, but that widest-ever mark probably will hold up until next year, when another tentpole stakes out an early May kickoff.

"Being the first pic out gave Sony carte blanche," said one studio distribution head. "I don't think it's possible now for anyone to go as wide. They won't be able to do it."

Instead, Paramount/DreamWorks' "Shrek the Third" and Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" will likely wind up in more than 4,000 theaters domestically but won't approach the webslinger's location count.

"They had a unique place, and the good news for (Sony) was that there was no movie doing more than $10 million" when the pic came into the market, said Rob Moore, Paramount [president] of worldwide marketing, distribution and operations. "So every theater was fighting to get 'Spider-Man 3,' and to accommodate as many prints as they could."

Still, Sony's rivals are applauding Spidey's latest success, saying that any time a big B.O. season kicks off with a mammoth hit, it typically helps lift the turnout for other titles. Studios also were riding "Spider-Man 3" to get leverage on their own pics: Par played trailers for "Shrek the Third" before "Spider-Man 3" reels. The studio will place attractions for "Transformers" before its own "Shrek" as well as Disney's latest "Pirates."

"All these three movies ('Spider-Man,' 'Shrek' and 'Pirates') will wind up in a similar location count, at over 4,000," said another studio exec.

Theater counts can change marginally up to the last minute as exhibs gauge what's working on their screens, but a movie's release plan usually varies by only 100-200 prints as its release date looms.

"We had very good opportunities in different ways (by opening first)," said Sony distrib [president] Rory Bruer. It's certainly possible, he said, that a pic could open wider this summer, "but it wouldn't be easy. It's amazing when a film is (so highly anticipated) that theaters seem to make room. They find a way to maximize."

Spidey 3 may end up with the widest roll out of the summer, but I think it's still possible for some other film to overtake it's the number of Tix sold that matters. When I saw the superhero flick last Saturday, a 10:00 AM show--the theater was only about 50% full. Maybe Transformers can over-take the spider?

Meanwhile, John Dempsey of Variety has the answer to that second question:

FX has elbowed out TNT/TBS, USA. and Spike to land exclusive rights to "Spider-Man 3," which could end up funneling more than $40 million into the Sony coffers for the network window.

The final license fee depends on how much money "Spider-Man 3" chalks up in U.S. theaters.

If the domestic gross shoots up to $400 million or more, FX could pay up to $33 million. In addition, FX's five-year deal allows Sony to carve out three separate windows within the FX license term to sell the picture to one or more broadcast networks, which could pony up another $7 million to $10 million for "Spider-Man 3." Sony and FX declined to comment on the deal.

FX gets its first batch of "Spider-Man 3" runs in 2009. FX previously locked up exclusive network-window rights to "Spider-Man 2," which harvested more than 1-million people 18 to 49 when the network ran it in primetime on April 30. (TNT and its TBS sibling own the original "Spider-Man")

The pickup of "Spider-Man 3" adds to a formidable lineup of FX exclusives through the end of the decade and beyond. Among FX's titles are "Night At The Museum," "X-Men: The Last Stand ," "The Departed," "Superman Returns" and "Click." FX has also bought a second window, following TNT's, to "The Da Vinci Code."

By relying on movies and original scripted series, FX has rocketed to fourth place in primetime among all ad-supported networks in the first quarter ....

The complete article can be found here...

I wonder if this means we'll see "extra" footage ala Spider-Man 2.1 (Extended Cut)?...