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The Scorpion King plunged 47 percent to second place with $9.6 million as its cume neared $75 million. Changing Lanes hit the brakes in third place with $5.6 million. Murder by Numbers finished fourth with $3.8 million. The Rookie and Life or Something Like It were neck and neck for fifth place with $3.3 million.

Propelled by Spider-Man, key films--those grossing $500,000 or more--totaled $158 million, up a phenomenal 51 percent from last year's $104.6 million. Business soared a breathtaking 96.5 percent over the previous weekend's $80.4 million.

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Columbia's PG-13 action-adventure sci-fi fantasy Spider-Man leaped into first place with an unprecedented ESTIMATED $114.0 million at 3,615 theaters and 7,500-plus screens ($31,535 per theater).

Insiders put the picture's production cost in the $120-130 million range, comfortably less than some reports have had it and leaving no question that Spider-Man will be an enormously profitable venture for Columbia and its corporate parent Sony. Not only will the movie generate major profits for the studio, but so will the franchise that will result in years to come thanks to this first film's super success.

Spider-Man's average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.

Directed by Sam Raimi, it stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris.

"There isn't a distribution record in film history that hasn't been shattered this weekend," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing & distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning.

"It's the biggest opening weekend--either three or four days. It's the biggest single day, which was our Saturday, which we're estimating at $43.7 million. It's the biggest single day by over $10 million, beating Harry Potter's Saturday of $33.5 million. It's the fastest to $100 million in three days (beating the five days it took Harry Potter). It's the highest per screen average in 3,000 prints or more with $31,535."

Looking at the weekend day by day, Blake said, "We estimate that it breaks out $39.3 million (for Friday), $43.7 million (for Saturday), up 11 percent, which I think is the most remarkable thing considering that we had the biggest day ever on Friday and we were up 11 percent on Saturday. And we're estimating $31 million for Sunday."

In terms of in-house records, Blake noted, "It more than doubles Columbia's biggest opening ever, which was Men in Black at $51 million."

Spider-Man ranks as the biggest opening in Hollywood history ever, he said, "Three days. Four days. Lost World's four days was $90 million. It doesn't matter (what comparisons you use)."

Reflecting on the film's unprecedented level of success, Blake pointed out, "It's the kind of coordinated worldwide marketing and distribution event that we've been working towards. It really can happen now. You can open a movie and make it an event around the world and maximize it immediately.