I am not sure why everyone here is looking toward the domestic take. Domestic take has rarely made a film successful. For instance, Pacific Rim only grossed $102 million in North America. However, it grossed over $300 million overseas, and that brought the total gross up to an acceptable number. It isn't that the domestic market isn't relevant. The domestic market is the single largest grossing block of any region. However, most of a film's money will be recouped internationally.
The more curious situation is that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has performed so poorly overseas. The film has been out for roughly a month in foreign territories, yet the gross sits at $277 million overseas (source: boxoffice mojo). Even if North America grossed $300 million (highly unlikely), the overseas market would have to pull in an additional $150 million just for this film to break $700 million.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=amazingspiderman2.htm
Anyone expecting this film to hit $900 or even $800 million is simply too indulgent in their fandom. This is why my prediction continues to sit at $550-650 million. The upside, is that the original Spider-Man 2 grossed lower than the original Spider-Man, yet the third film rebounded and made far more money than its predecessor. So even if this film takes a hit compared to the prior film's boxoffice draw, Sony can still pull it together again with a third entry.
The only question is, can Sony survive another forecast reduction in revenue? Sony's pockets have been ailing for years now and they are rather reliant on their film division to pull in money. They sold their PC unit, Playstation leads the market but loses Sony money for every unit sold. Their television unit is in shambles. Here is hoping for a Men in Black 4 before things get dire.
