Spider-Man 3 has become the most successful new release in box office history, according to studio estimates.
 Kirsten Dunst (left) and Tobey Maguire star in Spider-Man 3 | Sony said the film took $148m (£74m) in its opening weekend in North America. That beat the previous best of $136m (£68m) set by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last year. only seven films have reached $100m in a weekend. But Spider-Man's record will come under pressure later this month when two more "threequels" - the third Pirates of the Caribbean and Shrek films - come out. Shrek the Third has its premiere in Los Angeles on Sunday, two weeks before its US release, while Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is released one week later.  | PREVIOUS FIRST-WEEKEND RECORD HOLDERS Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - $136m (2006) Spider-Man - $115m (2002) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - $90m (2001) The Lost World: Jurassic Park - $72m (1997) Batman Forever - $53m (1995) Source: Boxofficemojo.com | The third Spider-Man film sees Peter Parker, played by Tobey Maguire, battle the darker side of his personality and try to hold on to his love interest Mary Jane Watson, played by Kirsten Dunst. Fans may have given it an enthusiastic reception - but the critical response was less than glowing. The Washington Post said the film was "plain awful", while The New York Post called it "overly long and complicated". The more favourable reviews included Newsweek magazine, which said it was "nothing if not eclectic, but somehow this ambitious mishmash works". 'Widest release' Variety magazine said it was also showing on more screens than any previous film, playing in 4,252 cinemas. The original Spider-Man film, released five years ago, took $115m (£58m) in its opening weekend - and is still third on the all-time new release chart, according to expert ticket site boxofficemojo.com. The follow-up, which came out in 2004, had relatively paltry first-weekend takings of $88m (£44m). Spider-Man 3 was also released in the UK on Friday and has already broken box office records in Asia. | 
