he Spiderman franchise exploded onto movie screens in 2001 with the first ever $100 million opening weekend. The movie instantly became a pop culture phenomenon and one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. In contemporary Hollywood fashion the stars and director signed on for three features before the original was released and inevitable sequels followed. Spiderman 2 proved to be one of the best superhero movies ever made, perfectly capturing the balance of lighted hearted young adult melodrama and super-powered action that defined the comics. The series seemed poised to be one of the best superhero franchises ever made in Hollywood…then Spiderman 3 happened.

The overblown sequel felt liked three possible Spiderman screenplays awkwardly combined into one, with none of the plot threads getting the attention they deserved. By conventional logic it should have killed the series, but Hollywood just doesn’t function on conventional logic. The movie made $150 million dollars on its opening weekend and despite the fact that everyone involved with the project said that the movie would end the series, it seemed impossible that Sony Pictures would be willing to kill their sweetest cash cow. That’s why it should come as no surprise that discussions have already begun regarding new sequels.