Spider-Man is a
2002 American action film based on the
fictional Marvel Comics character
Spider-Man. The first installment in the
Spider-Man series, the film, directed by
Sam Raimi and written by
David Koepp, stars
Tobey Maguire,
Kirsten Dunst,
James Franco, and
Willem Dafoe.
The film begins with Peter Parker, a high school student, being bitten by a genetically altered spider. After misusing his newly-given abilities, which indirectly causes the death of his
Uncle Ben, he becomes the heroic Spider-Man. Peter hopes to win the heart of
Mary Jane Watson, the girl he has loved since he was a boy. Meanwhile, he must battle the villainous
Green Goblin, the alter ego of the father of his best friend,
Harry Osborn.
After being stuck in
development hell for nearly 25 years, the film was released on May 3, 2002, by
Columbia Pictures, to excellent reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend. With $821.71 million worldwide, it was 2002's third-highest-grossing film and is the
21st-highest-grossing film of all time.
Spider-Man was, for its time, the most successful film based on a comic book. The film's success has led to two sequels,
Spider-Man 2 and
Spider-Man 3.
Spider-Man 3, like
Spider-Man, would set a new record for opening-weekend gross.
