"Spider-Man 3" is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, and Topher Grace.
The film begins with Peter Parker basking in his success as Spider-Man, while Mary Jane Watson begins her Broadway career. Harry Osborn still seeks vengeance for his father's death, and an escaped convict, Flint Marko, falls into a particle accelerator and is transformed into a shape-shifting sand manipulator. An alien symbiote crashes to Earth and bonds with Peter, influencing his behavior for the worse. When the symbiote is abandoned, it finds refuge in Eddie Brock Jr., a rival photographer, causing Peter to face his greatest challenge.
Spider-Man 3 was commercially released in multiple countries on May 1, 2007, and released in the United States in both conventional and IMAX theaters on May 4, 2007. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, in contrast to Spider-Man 2's highly positive reviews, yet the film broke most of the opening weekend records, both in the United States, and in foreign markets, including records held in IMAX theaters.
Spider-Man 3 had its world premiere in Tokyo on April 16, 2007, which garnered positive reaction from Japanese viewers. The film held its UK premiere on April 23, 2007 at the Odeon Leicester Square, and the U.S. premiere took place at the Tribeca Film Festival in Queens on April 30, 2007.
Spider-Man 3 was commercially released in 16 territories on May 1, 2007. The film was released in Japan on May 1, 2007, three days prior to the American commercial release, to coincide with Japan's Golden Week. Spider-Man 3 was also released in China on May 3, 2007 to circumvent market growth of pirated copies of the film. The studio's release of a film in China before its domestic release was a first for Sony Pictures Releasing International. The film was commercially released in the United States on May 4, 2007 in a North American record total of 4,253 theaters, including 53 IMAX theaters. Tracking data a month before the U.S. release reflected over 90% awareness and over 20% first choice among moviegoers, statistics that estimated an opening weekend of over $100 million for Spider-Man 3. Online tickets for Spider-Man 3 were reported on April 23, 2007 to have been purchased at a faster rate -- three times at Movietickets.com and four times at Fandango -- than online ticket sales for Spider-Man 2. On May 2, 2007, Fandango reported the sales rate as six times greater than the rate for Spider-Man 2. The strong ticket sales have caused theaters to add 3:00 AM showings following the May 4, 2007 midnight showing to accommodate the demand.
By May 6, 2007, Spider-Man 3 has opened in 107 countries around the world. The FX channel signed a five year deal for the television rights to Spider-Man 3, which they plan to start airing at the beginning of 2009. The price will be based on the film's box office performance, with an option for three opportunities for Sony to sell the rights to one or more other broadcast networks. Wikipedia
