# Spider-Man (2002 film)
**Spider-Man** is a 2002 American superhero film directed by [Sam Raimi](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-raimi), based on the [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics) character created by [Stan Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-lee) and Steve Ditko, and the first feature film to star Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker and his alter ego Spider-Man. Released by Columbia Pictures on May 3, 2002, it tells Peter Parker's origin story: a shy high school student gains spider-like abilities after being bitten by a genetically engineered spider, and after his beloved Uncle Ben is murdered during a robbery he vows to fight crime, guided by Ben's words, "With great power comes great responsibility."[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spiderman) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spiderman) The film was the highest-grossing release of 2002 and is widely credited with helping launch the modern era of superhero cinema.[3](https://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/collection/film/736/spider-man-.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | May 3, 2002 (United States), distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing; PG-13; 121 minutes[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0145487/) |
| Filmmakers | Directed by Sam Raimi; screenplay by David Koepp; produced by Laura Ziskin and Ian Bryce; executive producers Avi Arad and Stan Lee[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spiderman) |
| Cast | Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin/Norman Osborn), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), James Franco (Harry Osborn), Cliff Robertson (Ben Parker), Rosemary Harris (May Parker), J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson)[3](https://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/collection/film/736/spider-man-.html) |
| Budget | $139,000,000[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0145487/) |
| Opening weekend | $114,844,116 domestically, the first film ever to pass $100 million in a three-day opening[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0145487/) • [5](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-5/spider-man-is-first-movie-to-top-100-million-in-opening-weekend) |
| Worldwide gross | $810,925,307 lifetime per Box Office Mojo (The Numbers reports $823,929,972)[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0145487/) • [6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Spider-Man) |
| Critical reception | 90% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 278 reviews[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spiderman) |
| Sequels | Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), both directed by Raimi[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spiderman) |
## Spoilers
### Story and adaptation
The film follows high school student Peter Parker, an outcast who is unrequitedly in love with his neighbor [Mary Jane Watson](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-jane-watson) and bullied at school. On a field trip he is bitten by a genetically engineered spider and gains superhuman strength and the ability to cling to surfaces; after [Uncle Ben](https://www.edgepedia.org/uncle-ben) is killed by a robber Peter failed to stop, he takes up crime-fighting as the masked [Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man).[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spiderman) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spiderman) His adversary is Norman Osborn, founder of the technology company Oscorp, who tests an experimental performance-enhancing formula on himself, gains enhanced strength and intelligence with severe psychological side effects, and becomes the Green Goblin, Spider-Man's first major adversary and, through his son Harry, Peter's friend's father.[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spiderman)
The screenplay by [David Koepp](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-koepp) made two notable departures from the comics. The bite comes from a genetically modified arachnid rather than a radioactive one, and Peter's webs are produced organically from his body rather than shot from mechanical web-shooters; the change drew fan campaigns online even before release.[7](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/sam-raimi-spider-man) Koepp's script also drew on an earlier, uncredited treatment by [James Cameron](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-cameron), and positioned Peter's story as a romantic coming-of-age tale first and a superhero fantasy second.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/03/spider-man-at-20-the-superhero-film-that-changed-blockbuster-cinema)
## Development and production
The film rights had a tangled history. Marvel licensed the character to [Sony Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures)' subsidiary Columbia in 1999 for a reported $7 million, after years of litigation following the bankruptcy of [Carolco Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/carolco-pictures), which had once hired James Cameron to write and direct a version.[9](https://time.com/3702894/spider-man-movie-marvel-everything-you-need-to-know/) • [10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-mar-24-tm-34460-story.html) Directors considered before Raimi included [David Fincher](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-fincher), Tim Burton, and Chris Columbus; Columbia's Amy Pascal chose Raimi, then known for the Evil Dead films and Darkman, for his sincere enthusiasm for the comics.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/03/spider-man-at-20-the-superhero-film-that-changed-blockbuster-cinema) Raimi in turn lobbied for the casting of Tobey Maguire against the studio's preference for more conventionally handsome teen-idol types.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/03/spider-man-at-20-the-superhero-film-that-changed-blockbuster-cinema)
**Visual effects.** [Sony Pictures Imageworks](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures-imageworks) created 475 effects shots for the film, nearly all involving computer graphics, under visual effects designer John Dykstra. The team built three major effects systems: computer-generated New York environments (about 40 detailed "hero buildings" were modeled), digital stunt doubles for Spider-Man and the [Green Goblin](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-goblin), and the web itself. Stunt performers on cables approached 90 miles per hour on some swing arcs, and Raimi had originally proposed mounting a camera on rails and pulleys to fly above Manhattan streets at 80 mph before settling on a scaled-down version.[11](https://www.cgw.com/Publications/CGW/2002/Volume-25-Issue-6-June-2002-/Nitty-Gritty-Spider.aspx) • [12](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/05/02/step-into-my-parlor/7424ff01-edab-49af-9b11-8db1c3cbf625) Cinematographer Don Burgess shot the film in a bright, saturated palette of primary reds and blues that deliberately evoked comic-book panels, and [Danny Elfman](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-elfman) composed the score.[13](https://sightlines.media/film/557/spider-man-2002) • [14](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/62575)
## Box office and records
The film premiered on April 29, 2002, at the Mann Village Theatre and opened wide in the United States on May 3.[15](https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125958907.pdf) Its opening day gross of $39.4 million set a record, and its $114.8 million three-day weekend made it the first film in history to earn more than $100 million in its opening three days, surpassing the previous record of $90.3 million set by [Harry Potter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-potter) and the Sorcerer's Stone.[5](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-5/spider-man-is-first-movie-to-top-100-million-in-opening-weekend) • [16](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-06-fi-spider6-story.html) It also set records for the shortest time to $200 million and the highest gross for a third weekend of release.[17](https://cyber.harvard.edu/practicallawyering/Week4Sherwood48Complaint.pdf) With roughly $403.7 million domestically and about $400.7 million internationally in its original release, it finished as the highest-grossing film of 2002, and Sony reported more than $800 million worldwide by the end of March 2003, a company record.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0145487/) • [3](https://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/collection/film/736/spider-man-.html) • [18](https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/ar/qfhh7c000000g7z4-att/e_ar2003.pdf) The home-video release followed on November 1, 2002, with over 40 million initial units shipped worldwide, another Sony record.[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Spider-Man) • [18](https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/ar/qfhh7c000000g7z4-att/e_ar2003.pdf)
## Reception and legacy
Critics responded strongly. The film holds a 90% Tomatometer score, with the site's critics consensus crediting "the combined charms of director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire" for giving the web-swinging fun a heart.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spiderman) Roger Ebert, the longtime Chicago Sun-Times critic, praised Maguire's Peter Parker as pitch-perfect but found the CGI action sequences weightless and cartoonish compared with the character work.[19](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/spider-man-2002) Retrospective assessments have been kinder to the film's influence than to its effects: the Guardian's 20th-anniversary piece called it charming but patchy, noting that the Green Goblin seemed stiffly visualized even in 2002, while crediting the film with resetting the model of populist cinema.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/03/spider-man-at-20-the-superhero-film-that-changed-blockbuster-cinema)
The film's commercial and cultural impact extended well beyond its own trilogy. Its success demonstrated that mass audiences would turn out for a superhero film built on character and romance, and it established the early-May release slot as the standard launch point for summer blockbusters.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/03/spider-man-at-20-the-superhero-film-that-changed-blockbuster-cinema) • [20](https://time.com/87047/the-amazing-spider-man-2-box-office/) It was followed by Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), completing Raimi's trilogy with Maguire, after which Sony rebooted the character with Andrew Garfield in 2012 and later partnered with Marvel Studios for the Tom Holland films beginning in 2016.[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spiderman) • [21](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-watch-the-spider-man-movies-online-in-release-order) The film was novelized by Michael Teitelbaum as The Adventures of Spider-Man (2002), and a tie-in video game from Treyarch was released the same year.[22](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/spider-man) • [23](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/open-world/our-bosses-would-have-stopped-us-if-ps2s-spider-man-was-made-today-says-director-there-were-several-months-of-us-telling-our-bosses-dont-look-at-it-yet-dont-look-at-it-yet/)
## References
1. [SPIDER-MAN, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spiderman)
2. [Spider-Man, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spiderman)
3. [Spider-Man, Sony Pictures Museum](https://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/collection/film/736/spider-man-.html)
4. [Spider-Man (2002), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0145487/)
5. ["Spider-Man" becomes first movie to top $100 million in opening weekend, History.com](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-5/spider-man-is-first-movie-to-top-100-million-in-opening-weekend)
6. [Spider-Man (2002), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Spider-Man)
7. [Can Spider-Man do the comics justice?, Sight and Sound (BFI)](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/sam-raimi-spider-man)
8. [Spider-Man at 20: the superhero film that changed blockbuster cinema, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/03/spider-man-at-20-the-superhero-film-that-changed-blockbuster-cinema)
9. [Everything You Need to Know About Marvel and Sony Teaming Up For Yet Another Spider-Man Movie, Time](https://time.com/3702894/spider-man-movie-marvel-everything-you-need-to-know/)
10. [Untangling the Web, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-mar-24-tm-34460-story.html)
11. [Nitty Gritty Spider, Computer Graphics World](https://www.cgw.com/Publications/CGW/2002/Volume-25-Issue-6-June-2002-/Nitty-Gritty-Spider.aspx)
12. [Step Into My Parlor, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/05/02/step-into-my-parlor/7424ff01-edab-49af-9b11-8db1c3cbf625)
13. [Spider-Man (2002): analysis, Sightlines](https://sightlines.media/film/557/spider-man-2002)
14. [Spider-Man (2002), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/62575)
15. [Spider-Man (2002), Atlantis Press](https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125958907.pdf)
16. ['Spider-Man' Pulls Crowds Into Its Web, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-06-fi-spider6-story.html)
17. [The Spider-Man Movie complaint, Harvard Cyberlaw](https://cyber.harvard.edu/practicallawyering/Week4Sherwood48Complaint.pdf)
18. [Sony Corporation Annual Report 2003](https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/ar/qfhh7c000000g7z4-att/e_ar2003.pdf)
19. [Spider-Man movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/spider-man-2002)
20. [The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Box Office Won't Amaze Marvel, Time](https://time.com/87047/the-amazing-spider-man-2-box-office/)
21. [How to watch the Spider-Man movies online in release order, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-watch-the-spider-man-movies-online-in-release-order)
22. [Spider-Man, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/spider-man)
23. [PS2's Spider-Man retrospective, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/open-world/our-bosses-would-have-stopped-us-if-ps2s-spider-man-was-made-today-says-director-there-were-several-months-of-us-telling-our-bosses-dont-look-at-it-yet-dont-look-at-it-yet/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Superhero and comic-franchise film entries › Comic films of the 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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