From 'Spider-Man' to 'The Avengers': A Box Office Revolution

The very fact that The Avengers made $207.44 million this past weekend is amazing. What's even more amazing is that, just ten years ago, we watched Spider-Man become the first movie to break the $100 million mark its opening weekend. From that time on until this past weekend, 21 movies have debuted with at least $100 million (including Spider-Man and The Avengers).

There's obviously numerous factors behind the rise of the behemoth opening weekend. Higher ticket prices through inflation and a current wave of 3D and IMAX screenings are a part of it. We've also seen the "event movie" culture become more dominant, with movies focusing on making a huge box office impact their opening weekends instead of being content with making decent money week after week.

Counting Spider-Man's $114.84 million debut, the first of at least $100 million, we've seen six opening weekend record holders since 2002. How have the top ten opening weekends changed over that time?

The Avengers (May 4, 2012)

Total Top 10 Value: $1.51 billion
Average Opening: $150.85 million

The fact that the average opening weekend for the current top ten is $150.85 million speaks volumes about how the box office has changed, considering that we didn't even see a movie cross the $150 million opening weekend mark until Spider-Man 3 did it in 2007.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 (July 15, 2011)

Total Top 10 Value: $1.36 billion
Average Opening: $136.29

We only have to go back ten months to look at the last time a movie set a new opening weekend record, with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 clocking in at $169.19 million. In just those ten months, two other films broke into the top ten opening weekends list, raising the average opening weekend by over $14 million. By the time The Avengers topped the records, Spider-Man, the grandfather of $100 million opening weekends, was long gone from the top ten.

The Dark Knight (July 18, 2008)

Total Top 10 Value: $1.22 billion
Average Opening: $121.83 million

The Dark Knight was the box office champion for exactly three years, the second longest period any film has held the top spot after Spider-Man. Between The Dark Knight's premier and now, the top ten has changed so much that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a film that once ranked No. 10 is now currently at No. 20. Can Batman return his franchise to the top spot with The Dark Knight Rises two months from now? If that happens, it will be the quickest we've ever seen an opening weekend record holder dethroned in the age of the $100 million opening.

Spider-Man 3 (May 5, 2007)

Total Top 10 Value: $1.10 billion
Average Opening: $109.93 million

In reclaiming the opening weekend crown for the Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man 3 became the first movie to ever debut with more than $150 million, breaking Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest's record by over $15 million.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (July 7, 2006)

Total Top 10 Value: $1.03 billion
Average Opening: $103.35 million

It took more than four years for a movie to beat Spider-Man's opening weekend record. In the time between Spider-Man and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, eight new movies joined the top ten (including the third Pirates of the Caribbean), and four movies opening to more than $100 million without topping Spider-Man's record.

Spider-Man (May 3, 2002)

Total Top 10 Value: $722.87 billion
Average Opening: $72.87 million

When Spider-Man crashed the top ten opening weekend of all time, the average opening for the top ten was $72.87 million. The Avengers made $207.44 million its opening weekend, a number almost three times as much as that. There were no 3D showings of Spider-Man. No IMAX screenings. Spider-Man set its record without those gimmicks.

Take a look at the other movies in this top ten. These were the best ever at this point. In today's box office world, most of those numbers would be an applaudable opening weekend, but not enough to even start talking blockbuster. A $100 million opening is basically a "nice job" now. There's the very likely chance that The Amazing Spider-Man will open to a higher box office in July than Spider-Man did back in 2002 and people will just shrug their shoulders.