Spider-Man 2 took in a record-breaking $40.5m on its Wednesday opening across the United States and Canada, Sony Pictures Entertainment has confirmed.

The previous overall opening record of $39.4m was set by the first Spider-Man movie, which debuted in 2002. Another record that the new movie smashed was the Wednesday opening record, which had been previously held by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at $34.5m.

The movie will open in the UK on July 15.