Those were major films, and successes. But for a studio to set its biggest film of the year, indeed one of its biggest risks ever, for that early date was dicey at best. Universal did that with “The Mummy” in 1999 and its 2001 sequel, and Dreamworks hit the jackpot with “The Gladiator” in 2000.
“Spider-Man” wasn’t the first to test the first weekend of May. By the early 1990s, “summer movies” like “Mission: Impossible” and “Lost World: Jurassic Park” had the courage to move to Memorial Day sometimes - as with “The Phantom Menace,” which opened just before. But early May? Not prime time remotely. That meant early June, or later, when nearly all schools were closed. Since “Jaws” in 1975, that time is the go-to release period for the biggest films. At the time it one of the most expensive titles ever made, and a major risk - particularly as the initial film for a franchise.Īnd, like any massively expensive production, “Spider-Man” would be expected to claim a summer release date. By contrast, “Spider-Man” had an adjusted budget that passed $200 million. Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” cost just $35 million ($73 million adjusted), and grossed an adjusted $576 million worldwide. “Spider-Man” captured the spirit of the Richard Donner “Superman” movies, emphasizing the human side of their characters while adding humor and romance, all in the context of action and FX.Īs a character, “Spider-Man” had much stronger name recognition as a film, the budget dwarfed all of its superhero predecessors, including D.C.’s “Superman” and “Batman” films. “X-Men” was PG-13, but veered toward intricate plotting and the darker world of mutants. The action-oriented “Blade” films were R-rated. However, “Spider-Man” was the first to provide a rough template of the Marvel movies as we know them today. Nor was it the first Marvel revival from that period other Marvel characters to see feature adaptations included New Line Cinema’s “Blade” franchise starring Wesley Snipes, which launched in 1998, and first “X-Men” in 2000 from 20th Century Fox.
Credit for that, of course, goes to “Iron Man,” which came six years after “Spider-Man,” in 2008. To be very clear: “Spider-Man” was not the start of the MCU.
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