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In this film image released by Sony Pictures, Andrew Garfield is shown in a scene from "The Amazing Spider-Man, set for release on July 3, 2012. "The Amazing Spider-Man" pulled in $7.5 million from its debut screenings just after midnight Tuesday, July 3. (AP Photo/Columbia - Sony Pictures, Jaimie Trueblood) Image Credit: AP

Los Angeles: The new Spider-Man has launched with the same midnight magic as the old one.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" pulled in $7.5 million (Dh27.54 million) from its debut screenings on Tuesday just after midnight. According to distributor Sony Pictures, that matches the amount that "Spider-Man 3" took in from its first midnight screenings in 2007 on the way to what was then a record $151.1 million opening weekend.

Midnight screenings generally have become bigger business since then, hitting a peak as fans shelled out $43.5 million for midnight shows of the "Harry Potter" finale last summer.

While "The Amazing Spider-Man" is well back in the pack by comparison, its midnight debut hints at strong box office through the Fourth of July weekend, with industry expectations as high as $120 million in its first six days.