Marvel Studios
The next film licensed from Marvel Studios was "Spider-Man" by Columbia Pictures, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. The film was released on May 3, 2002, grossing $403,706,375 in the United States and Canada and $821,708,551 worldwide. The early success of "Spider-Man" led the film's studio to issue a seven-figure advance for a sequel. Arad spoke of the deal, "Movies make sequels. Therefore, it's a big economic luxury to know that a movie's going to get a second and third. This is a business of precedence." According to a Lehman Brothers analysis, the Studios made only $62 million for the first 2 Spider-Man movies. Marvel was making more from half the consumer product licensing fees while making relatively little from the movie, but was enough for Marvel to regain its financial footings. In October 2002, Marvel Studios announced deals for Sub-Mariner and Prime with Universal Studios.
Peter Parker (Spider-Man film series)
The first film characterized Peter Parker as an intelligent and level-headed yet lonely, socially-awkward, introverted and bookish teenager, focusing on his personality as a shy, embittered and bashful outsider, before he gained his powers and his subsequent struggles to accept his new-found abilities and to eventually utilize them to help people, after his uncle is murdered by a car-jacker during a grand theft auto, for which he was partially responsible and is constantly tormented with, after initially attempting to use them for personal gain. As a result, he is motivated to use his super-human abilities for a good cause, under the persona of a masked vigilante: "Spider-Man", in order to atone for his uncle's death. Even after he takes up the persona of Spider-Man, he still retains his socially-inept, awkward and dorky, yet endearingly goofy and good-hearted nature, while wrestling with his feelings for his childhood crush and close friend: Mary Jane-Watson and handling his close relationship with his best friend/roommate: Harry Osborn, who is coincidentally dating Mary Jane. In "Spider-Man 2", director: Sam Raimi felt that the film had to thematically explore Peter's internal conflict with his personal wants against his responsibility, the positive and negatives of his chosen path, and how he ultimately decides that he can be happy as a heroic figure. Raimi stated the story was partly influenced by "Superman II", which also explored the titular hero giving up his responsibilities. The sequel's story is mainly taken from the comic book series "The Amazing Spider-Man" No. 50, "Spider-Man No More!" According to Raimi, Peter Parker's story is about "a life out of balance": Peter is caught between a life where he tries to help people and atone for his uncle's death with his Spider-Man alter-ego and another where he tries to balance his studies, occupation as a photographer and his relationship with his family and friends. Peter acknowledges that he cannot be with Mary Jane Watson without endangering her, due to his Spider-Man alter-ego, fearing that if his enemies would ever find out about his true identity, they would target his loved ones, and as a result, distances himself from her, but eventually rekindles his relationship with her, after she finds out about his dual life, learns about Peter's difficulties and confesses her feelings for Peter as well.