By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Spider-Man" captured the North American box-office crown for the second consecutive weekend, spinning $200 million in record time.

But its reign will likely end next weekend when Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and pals return to theaters in the new "Star Wars" movie.

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Spider-Man" grossed $72 million for the three-day period beginning on Friday, taking its 10-day haul to $223.6 million.

The comic-book adaptation passed the double-century mark on Saturday, its ninth day, beating the record of 13 days set in 1999 by "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace."

No other film has made as much in its second weekend. Indeed, after setting a three-day record with its staggering $114.8 million bow last weekend, "Spider-Man" now also claims the No. 4 slot on the all-time list for three days.

While most of last summer's big "popcorn flicks" lost half their audiences in the second weekend, "Spider-Man" slipped just 37 percent. About 60 percent of all movie tickets sold this weekend were for "Spider-Man."

Not only were fans making return trips, but the "electric word of mouth" was drawing people who attend one or two movies a year, said Jeff Blake, president of marketing and distribution at Columbia Pictures. Its wide appeal meant that teen-agers and the date crowd could catch the movie on a Friday night, while families could show up on Mother's Day, he said.

Columbia is a unit of Sony Corp (news - web sites). . Tobey Maguire stars as the nimble superhero, while Kirsten Dunst plays his love interest. Sam Raimi directed.

RAREFIED TERRITORY

Blake predicted "Spider-Man" would break into the top five films of all time in North America, rarefied territory occupied by "Titanic ($601 million), "Star Wars" ($461 million), "E.T." ($434 million), "Phantom Menace" ($431 million) and "Jurassic Park" ($357 million).

The only cloud is Thursday's bow of "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones," the fifth movie in George Lucas' fabled sci-fi franchise. Blake was philosophical about the new competition.

"Certainly you can't continue to defy gravity, but we do think we have an advantage with our wide appeal that we should be able to continue to hold our own," he said.

"Clones," starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen, will be released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's Fox Entertainment Group Inc.

Fox claimed the No. 2 spot at this weekend's box office with "Unfaithful," an erotic thriller from "Fatal Attraction" director Adrian Lyne. It earned $14.2 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period, a good start for a movie targeted at adults who do not rush the multiplex on opening weekend.

The provocative subject matter -- Diane Lane plays a woman who cheats on her husband (Richard Gere) -- should sustain grosses over coming weeks, said Rick Myerson, executive VP of distribution at Twentieth Century Fox. The film made an additional $53,000 from three days of exclusive engagements in New York and Los Angeles before opening nationwide on Friday.

The No. 3 slot was grabbed by another new release, Columbia's "The New Guy," a comedy about a high school loser's quest for coolness. It opened with $9.5 million, and would be profitable since it cost only $13 million to produce, said a Columbia spokesman.

Rounding out the top five, former box-office champ "The Scorpion King" (Universal) fell two places to No. 4 with $4.4 million in its fourth weekend. Its total stands at $80.4 million.

The road-rage thriller "Changing Lanes" (Paramount) also fell two places, to No. 5, with $3.5 million in its fifth weekend. Its total rose to $57 million.

According to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 films grossed $114 million, down 25 percent from last weekend, but up 60 percent from the year-ago period when "The Mummy Returns" was tops in its second week.

The only other wide release next weekend is Universal's "About A Boy," a British romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant as a playboy who dates single mothers because he considers them an easy catch.

Universal Pictures is a unit of Vivendi Universal SA . Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc. .

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the May 10-12 weekend, according to studio figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Three-day Cumulative

Title Gross Gross

1. Spider-Man .......... $71,417,527

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $223,040,031

2. Unfaithful .......... $14,065,277

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $14,118,338

3. The New Guy .......... $9,007,833

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $9,007,833

4. The Scorpion King .......... $4,925,070

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $80,934,290

5. Changing Lanes .......... $3,815,035

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $57,308,319

6. The Rookie .......... $2,626,800

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $68,233,433

7. Murder By Numbers .......... $2,427,318

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $27,462,731

8. Ice Age .......... $1,576,006

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $171,020,941

9. Panic Room .......... $1,505,704

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $93,091,300

10. Life Or Something Like It .......... $1,410,110

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $13,202,385

Reuters/Variety

John L.:  Spiderman is still the main event this week as two new movies, Unfaithful and The New Guy barely registered.  Computer generated imaging is all the rage, at least for this month.  Come back next week for the big Star Wars Box Office Report.