And then along came your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. In that one weekend, about 20 million Americans saw Spider-Man, making Sony $115 million — by far the most any film has ever made in a weekend (and a nonholiday one at that). By this coming weekend, Spider-Man, which cost about $120 million to make and $50 million to market, was expected to have earned $225 million. But by breaking the four-minute mile of Hollywood — the $100 million opening weekend — Spidey has shrewdly fine-tuned the rules about moviemaking, marketing and distribution. It also marks the beginning of what is sure to be the biggest moviegoing summer ever.

Will Starwar break the record?