Spider-Man 2 Declares Independence
Sony's SPIDER-MAN 2 web blasted its way to two more records over the Fourth of July weekend ended July 5, 2004: the best Independence holiday grosser yet with $115.8M and the fastest six-day opener in history, with a cume of $180M. And as a result of the spectacular SHREK 2 and the hefty HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (proving that summer sequels are back), the summer's first half saw a rise of more than 8% compared to last year, thanks to higher ticket prices as well as higher admissions.
Coming in at number two was Michael Moore's very hot FAHRENHEIT 9/11. The highest grossing doc added $22M to its coffers for Lions Gate, bringing its two-week total to an astounding $61.1M. Sony's WHITE CHICKS came in third place in its sophomore outing with $11.5M and $46.6M Fox's comedy, DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY, slipped to fourth with $11.3M and $87.6M. DreamWorks' THE TERMINAL held the fifth spot with $10.7M and a disappointing $57.2M to date, considering the Spielberg/Hanks one-two punch. New Line's romantic weepie, THE NOTEBOOK, dipped to sixth with $10.3M and a two-week cume of $31.6M. Warner Bros.' HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (with vfx by ILM, Cinesite (Europe), Double Negative, Framestore CFC and The Moving Picture Co.) occupied seventh place with $8.5M for a total of $225.7M. Holding the eighth spot with the best numbers yet for an animated feature was DreamWorks' SHREK 2, bringing in $8.3M and $410.6M. At number nine was Fox's GARFIELD: THE MOVIE (with vfx by Rhythm & Hues), with $4.2M and $64.2M. And settling for 10th was Universal's TWO BROTHERS (with vfx by Éclair), which brought in $3.8M and $12.8M. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.