Sony’s rerelease of Spider-Man 2 has been a major success for the studio, proving that Tobey’s take on the Marvel icon is still a fan favorite. Spider-Man 2 came out on June 30, 2004, and was considered one of the best comic book movies ever at the time of its release. Spider-Man 2 focuses on Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) as he tries to navigate being an ordinary person with the responsibility of also being Spider-Man.
When Spider-Man first his theaters, it was a massive hit and showed a glimpse of just how huge superhero films could and eventually would be. Spider-Man 2 was released two years later to even better reviews and cemented the franchise in superhero history. Even 20 years later, it has proven its staying power and remains one of the best superhero movies of all time despite the massive cultural boom the genre has experienced since then.
Spider-Man 2’s first day of its rerelease was a massive success, earning over $800,000 in only 467 theaters nationwide (per The Numbers). That was good enough for second place for the day behind Civil War, which earned over $900,000 playing in almost 4,000 theaters. The success of Sony’s rerelease shows that Spider-Man 2 is still one of the best Spider-Man movies of all time. Looking at the reception to Spider-Man 2 in theaters once more and the massive box office haul of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s undeniable that Tobey Maguire is beloved as the web-slinger.
Indeed, Spider-Man has proven to be as close to a box-office guarantee as exists in the superhero genre. Holland’s MCU trilogy stands as one of Marvel’s most profitable per movie and overall, and positive reviews back up the earnings. A movie as old as Spider-Man 2, keeping its popularity and box-office draw, is certainly impressive.
Despite receiving better reviews overall than the original movie, Spider-Man 2 didn’t make as much at the box office as Spider-Man did. Its staying power has been undeniable, though, and its Monday rerelease haul earned a bit more than the first movie did on its rerelease with about the same number of theaters playing them. With Spider-Man 2 making more this time around, it shows just how beloved the movie has become and is a sign that interest in Tobey as Spider-Man remains high.
Spider-Man has always been one of the most popular comic book characters of all time since his debut, but it was Sam Raimi’s original movies that proved just how big superhero movies can be when the first one was released in 2002. Spider-Man 2 set the standard 20 years ago and still remains one of the best superhero movies ever all these years later. Maybe the warm reception to Raimi’s trilogy could lead to another shot at Spider-Man 4, bringing the team back together for another ride.
Source: The Numbers