SPIDER-MAN's record-breaking success means movie-goers can look forward to many more superhero flicks at the box office in the coming years, including another installment of the trials and tribulations of Peter Parker and his arachnid alter ego. Marvel Enterprises recently announced it received a seven-figure advance for the sequel to SPIDER-MAN, which will reunite stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst and director Sam Raimi, and is scheduled to hit screens in 2004. Marvel will continue to reap the benefits of SPIDER-MAN as the company has a gross participation from dollar one in the box office and will earn revenue from the DVD sales and the pay-per-view, cable and network television deals. The company also generates revenue from the licensing and merchandising of the movie from the company's internal toy division, Toy Biz. Marvel saw recent film success with characters based on their comic books when 20th Century Fox's THE X-MEN grossed over $300 million dollars worldwide in 2000. Production for Fox's X-2, THE X-MEN sequel, is planned to start on June 1, 2002 for a scheduled May 2, 2003 release. 2003 will find three other films in theaters based on Marvel comics. Production is already underway at Universal Pictures for THE HULK, scheduled to open nationwide June 20, 2003, and Fox's DAREDEVIL scheduled for January 17, 2003. Finally, THE PUNISHER is in the works at Artisan Entertainment to be released in August 2003. Additional Marvel franchises scheduled to get the big screen treatment include SUB-MARINER (Universal), GHOST RIDER (Sony), FANTASTIC FOUR (Fox), DR. STRANGE (Dimension), IRON MAN (New Line), PRIME (Universal) and IRON FIST (Artisan).
The Producers of Spider-Man Speak
In the midst of Spider-Man mania, Danny Fingeroth caught up with two of the most popular producers in showbiz Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad to talk about box office success, becoming a geek, creative changes and the new animated television show.
