Spider-Man (2002 film)

Spider-Man
Spider-Man in his suit crawling over a building and looking towards the viewer. Below of him is New York City, the film's title, credits, and release date.
Theatrical release poster by Peter Tangen
Directed bySam Raimi
Screenplay byDavid Koepp
Based on
Spider-Man
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDon Burgess
Edited by
Music byDanny Elfman
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing[1]
Release dates
Running time
121 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$139 million[4]
Box office$831.2 million[5]

Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay by David Koepp, it is the first installment in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, and Rosemary Harris. The story follows timid teenager Peter Parker, who gains superhuman abilities after being bitten by a genetically engineered spider. He adopts the masked persona "Spider-Man" and begins to fight crime in New York City, facing the malevolent Green Goblin in the process.

Development of a live-action Spider-Man film began in 1975, but stalled for nearly 25 years due to licensing and financial issues. Columbia Pictures finally licensed the project for a worldwide release in 1999. David Koepp was hired to create a working screenplay, which was eventually rewritten by Scott Rosenberg and refined by Alvin Sargent. Various directors were considered before Raimi was hired in 2000. Filming took place in Los Angeles and New York City from January to June 2001. Danny Elfman composed the musical score, while Sony Pictures Imageworks handled the visual effects.[6]

Spider-Man premiered at the Mann Village Theater on April 29, 2002, and was released in the United States on May 3. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences, who praised Raimi's direction, the story, the performances, visual effects, action sequences, and musical score. It was the first film to reach $100 million in a single weekend, as well as the most successful film based on a comic book at the time. With a box office gross of over $825 million worldwide, it was the third highest-grossing film of 2002, the highest-grossing superhero film, and the sixth-highest-grossing film overall at the time of release. The film garnered nominations for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects at the 75th Academy Awards, among numerous other accolades. Spider-Man is credited for redefining the modern superhero genre and the summer blockbuster.[7][8][9] It was followed by two sequels, both directed by Raimi: Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). Maguire and Dafoe later reprised their roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), which explores the concept of the multiverse and links the Raimi trilogy to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  1. ^ a b "Spider-Man". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Goodridge, Mike (April 28, 2002). "Spider-Man Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  3. ^ "SPIDER-MAN (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. April 15, 2002. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "Spider-Man (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  5. ^ "Spider-Man (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "About". Sony Pictures Imageworks. Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  7. ^ "15 Years Later, Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' Is Both a Trendsetter and a Throwback". Collider. May 3, 2017. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  8. ^ "SPIDER-MAN WEEK: The Spidey trailer that changed the game". The Washington Post. May 3, 2014. Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  9. ^ "Looking Back: Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' is Still Definitive 15 Years Later". FirstShowing.net. June 16, 2017. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017.