Spider-Man's incredible debut, dubbed 'mega-boffo' by Variety, has raised both the bar and the expectations for the second episode of the Star Wars saga, which is set to bow on May 16.  Spider-Man still has one competition-free weekend before Star Wars rolls into the theaters and the film just might pile up such a lead that Attack of the Clones will never be able to catch it.  

Unlike the folks at Lucasfilm, Spidey's producers didn't have to worry about the 'hangover' from the mega-hype surrounding the release of Episode I in 1999.  Reacting to criticism of the marketing campaign for Episode I, Lucas has cut the number of Star Wars Licensees (and skus) by over a third and greatly reduced the promotional marketing elements that had Episode I images in dozens of TV commercials for a wide range of products (see 'Spider-Man Vs. Episode II').  It should be interesting to see if Lucasfilm will open Episode II in enough theaters to give it a chance to beat Spider-Man's prodigious record-setting opening, or if the Star Wars braintrust will sit back and hope that repeat business will eventually allow them to catch Spider-Man's box office total.

Good reviews played an important role in Spider-Man's huge success.  While it is true that critics can't keep audiences away from summer movie blockbusters, no matter how lame (check out The Mummy Returns), critical raves like the ones that Spidey garnered can broaden the audience considerably and make the difference between a strong opening and a record-setting one.  In a major change in policy from Episode I, Lucas has allowed more reviewers to see Attack of the Clones in advance (see 'May Movie Moolah Episode II').  Though the reviews are not as overwhelmingly positive as Spider-Man's, they have been very strong.  Writing in Variety, Todd McCarthy didn't mince words, 'Reinvigorating a series that showed signs of needing a transfusion, Clones will soar to the furthest extremes of the B.O stratosphere. Virtually everything that went wrong in Menace has been fixed, or at least improved upon...the exposition and sense of storytelling are clearer and more economical, the detailing of the diverse settings is far richer, the multitudinous action set-pieces are genuinely exciting, there is now the dramatic through-line provided by a love story, some of the acting is actually decent, and even the score is better.'

The final determination of this summer's top-grossing film may depend on which of the two leading candidates can attract the most repeat business.  Both Spider-Man and Attack of the Clones include a prominent 'love story' element that could lead to repeat viewings by a portion of the young female audience that made Titantic such a success.  But Star Wars need not depend on teenage girls for repeat viewings -- the Star Wars fan base is chock-a-block with folks for whom each extra trip to the theater is the equivalent of a 'merit' badge.  As juvenile as Episode I may have been, it still engendered strong repeat viewings as it slogged its way to a very respectable $431 million in domestic box office.  Even reviewers who have been less than pleased with Episode II have admitted that it represents a major improvement over Episode I.  Episode II also has the Memorial Day weekend to buoy its second week totals.