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.
The Amazing Spider-Man (comic strip)
Years later Spider-Man publisher Marvel Comics tried again, and the daily newspaper comic strip "The Amazing Spider-Man" debuted on January 3, 1977. Produced by Marvel and syndicated by the Register and Tribune Syndicate through 1985, Cowles Media Company in 1986, and King Features Syndicate since, the comic strip was successful in an era with few serialized adventure strips. The strip slowly grew in circulation and as of 2018 is still being published. Initially the creative team was again Lee and Romita. After four years Romita left the strip, but to date Stan Lee remains the writer of the strip's entire run. Though renowned for his use of the Marvel method, Lee writes full scripts for the comic strip.