Spider-Man casts a wide web to top weekend box office

LOS ANGELES — Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sony’s newest addition to the growing library of summertime superhero yarns, spun up an impressive opening in North American theaters this weekend, with ticket sales for the threeday weekend estimated at $117 million. That would give the film the third-largest opening so far this year, behind

Beauty and the Beast and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Sony, along with Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, spent a hefty $175 million to make the film, but global sales have already surpassed $250 million, according to Web site boxofficemojo.com.

Last week’s No. 1 film, Despicable Me 3, came in second at a respectable $34 million, Website Exhibitor Relations reported. In Universal’ slate st installment in the animated series, Steve Care ll stars as the voice of bad guy-turned protagonist Gr u—and his twin brother Dru. Kristen Wiig voices Gru’ s wife Lucy and South Park co-creator Trey Parker is evil villain Balthazar Bratt. In third spot was Sony’s heist thriller Baby Driver, with Ansel Elgort ( The

Fault in our Stars) starring as a gifted getaway driver who suffers from tinnitus — ringing in his ears — forcing him to play music on his iPod to concentrate when behind the wheel. It took in $12.7 million in its third week.

Fourth was Wonder Woman, at $10.1 million. The Warner Bros. superhero action film stars Israeli actress Gal Gadot as the Amazonian goddess-princess.

And in fifth place was Transformers: The Last Knight from Paramount, with ticket sales of $6.3 million. The latest episode in that blockbuster series, heavy on visual effects, features actors Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro and Anthony Hopkins.

Rounding out the top 10 were: Cars 3 ($5.6 million); The House ($4.8 million); The Big Sick ($3.6 million); 47 Meters Down ($2.8 million); and, The

Beguiled ($2.0 million).