Media Market Journal » The Amazing Spider-Man

Martin Sheen to Reprise Uncle Ben in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Sequel

Jeff Rosz — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:34:42 +0000

Big news in the world of Spider-Man movies today. Martin Sheen will be back for round two. Yes, you heard that right. Director Marc Webb is resurrecting Uncle Ben for a second go around as the actor who plays him broke the news via RTE’s Late Late Show say, “I’m going to be Uncle Ben in Spider-Man once again next year. We shoot it in February.” Judging from how nonchalant he divulged this pretty critical detail, audiences should not expect much beyond a minor flashback sequence similar to those within The Amazing Spider-Man. Perhaps we will see an aged down Uncle Ben interacting with Peter Parker’s father as his whereabouts have and will continue to be a huge subject of Webb’s series.

Martin Sheen joins a cast list that already has a number of reprisals with exception to Denis Leary’s Captain Stacy. On screen for the sequel outing will be Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Sally Field with new arrivals in the form of Jamie Foxx (Electro,) Dane DeHaan (Harry Osborne,) and Shailene Woodley (Mary Jane.) Those three have been cast into the project during the past few months as release is looming less than 17 months from today. Foxx will play the villain most likely foreshadowed during the mid-credits teaser for this feature and the old classics get some really fresh blood with the hirings of Chronicle’s DeHaan and The Descendants’ Woodley.

All of this news is beginning to point to what could amount to a sizable sequel bump for the property’s second take since the turn of the century. Audiences surprised even Sony this summer by flocking to theaters for what some have brutally called a clear rip-off of prior works in the genre. Many fans cited the emotion brought to the franchise from (500) Days of Summer helmer Marc Webb for warranting the redo, and that turned into over $750 million at the global box office on a budget of just $250 million–a clear profit for a nervous studio that was preparing to accept that maybe the end of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man era came prematurely.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lands in theaters on May 2, 2014.

‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Quietly Tops $250 Million Domestic

Jeff Rosz — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 16:41:15 +0000

The box office report this weekend had a rare eighth-ranked wrinkle in it as a rebooted superhero film trying to make a name for itself has toppled yet another important barrier a full month following its theatrical debut. Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man banked $4.3 million for the period of August 3-5 which puts its domestic total past $250 million, becoming the fourth film in the franchise to breach the milestone.

While it is abundantly clear that there is no real chance that the feature could join its predecessors in the $300 million club, coming close to that mark is a relative win for Sony who rebooted the flick with the hopes that Spider-Man fans would accept their plan to go grittier. Thanks to strong admiration for the new version’s choice to showcase a high level of character develop, the movie managed to have a fairly decent theatrical run both domestic and abroad.

The foreign recognition of The Amazing Spider-Man did not skip a beat as the movie is now above $412 million from overseas markets, making the blockbuster the third ranked movie in the franchise on that level. It is completely within the realm of possibility that this latest iteration could still pass Spider-Man’s $418 million and place second in the category, but first remains out of the question at this point in time as that figure stands at above half a billion.

Globally, The Amazing Spider-Man currently ranks fourth with $663 million, and it will likely stay that way as the worst performing Sam Raimi Spider-Man banked $120 million more on that scale. No one is going to be too upset at that as some were anticipated box office doom for this retread just two months ago.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is currently in the works with the Star Trek tandem of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci writing the script. Sony has placed the movie at the start of the summer blockbuster season two years from now on May 2, 2014. The effort does not have a director locked in just yet, but the studio hopes it can find a way to allow Webb to continue what he started.

Marc Webb Might Not Direct ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Sequel

Jeff Rosz — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:32:32 +0000

The Amazing Spider-Man made a lot of money for Sony this month as the superhero reboot defied the odds and easily surpassed half-a-billion worldwide in box office cheddar. Naturally, this caused the studio to let out a massive sigh of relief that no doubt everyone in the industry heard because the film was not exactly expected to be a huge hit by any means. They spent over $200 million to relaunch the franchise and already had hired writers to draft the sequel, so if things did not click with audiences, Sony would likely have hung director Marc Webb out to dry.

That brings us to today’s news in that reports are surfacing that the man behind the camera may not return for round two. With less than two years away from the next Spider-Man release, there is some pessimism that Webb can get it done not because of the problems with producing his first superhero effort, but rather because he could be busy elsewhere. This news comes from Columbia Chief Douglas Belgrade who recently said in an interview that the director’s fate is yet to be determined. When asked if he would be returning for the film’s sequel Belgrade replied, “We’d really like him back, but there are obstacles. He has an obligation to Fox.” This obstacle is referring to an option that Fox has on Webb.

These comments to THR may strike some as a bit surprising because it infers that Sony is really happy with Webb. They may be forgetting the reshoots and other production woes that The Amazing Spider-Man had in their immediate acceptance of a reprisal. He might not have done action films before, but this sounds like a hair-raising effort that almost did not translate into what showed up in theaters this summer. On top of that, there were massive complaints about how he used 3D. The film was actually shot with special cameras to utilize the tech, but many audience members complained it looked worse than most post-production conversions.

If Webb does not return, this will definitely ensure that the sequel is a lot different in every way that matters. A lot of people were saying they liked the franchise retread better because it had some large scale character development that the Sam Raimi trilogy noticeably lacked. While the film’s writers (Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci) are known to be huge hawks in that regard, to get that element across the screen might take the right director.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 released into theaters nationwide on May 2, 2014.

Denis Leary Dishes on Sleep Walking Run-In with Kardashian Clan

Jeff Rosz — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:57:54 +0000

Denis Leary earned a lot of brownie points for his portrayal of Captain Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man. He literally was one of the best supporting actors in the entire movie despite a cast list that included Sally Field and Martin Sheen, so for the meantime we are going to pretend as if he did not steal material from Louis C.K. long ago and not hate on him.

Lucky for us, it paid off as watching his appearance on Conan last night was one of the most amusing things I have seen from Leary in a while. He told two stories with the second being far better. The former Rescue Me star went on a rant about how he was on the same plane as the Kardashian family on which he apparently freaked out, attacking a U.S. air marshal in the process.

Leary was on Conan to promote Ice Age: Continental Drift which is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Denis Leary Talks ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Stunt Work on ‘Leno’

Jeff Rosz — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:55:31 +0000

The Amazing Spider-Man has been given a lot of critical recognition over the past few weeks for its stellar ensemble, and much to the audience’s surprise that included stand-up comedian Denis Leary. The actor was cast the role of Captain Stacy in the Marc Webb-directed reboot in which he harnessed his dramatic credentials developed through the years on the set of Rescue Me, resulting in some fantastic scenes with Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker.

Naturally, that was a topic of conversation last night when Leary took to The Tonight Show as part of his promotional tour for Ice Age: Continental Drift. The interview opened with discussion of Spider-Man and closed with a clip of the new Ice Age movie in which he reprises as a saber-tooth tiger named Diego.

FX Buys Cable Rights to ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

Jeff Rosz — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 02:06:28 +0000

When The Amazing Spider-Man finally makes its way to cable television a few years from now, it will be on FX where it will partner up with the network’s other Spider-Man features which apparently have been rather successful in recent days. The channel opted to buy the rights to the Marc Webb-directed feature within a week of its release making it yet another blockbuster summer acquisition for the network which seems to relish such purchases.

The Amazing Spider-Man may not have broken franchise records, but the movie is still gigantic as the reboot debuted to $140 million in its first six days of release. Ultimately, the superhero flick is expected to pull in near $300 million at the domestic box office which would make the film one of the biggest of the year, and a gigantic get for the channel.

This film joins the likes of FX’s other summer acquisitions which include The Avengers, Men in Black 3, Snow White and the Huntsman, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Ted, Prometheus, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, That’s My Boy, and Battleship.

Kevin Smith’s ‘Spoilers’ Takes on ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ with Guest Stan Lee

Jeff Rosz — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 16:15:55 +0000

Check out the latest installment of Kevin Smith’s Spoilers–a talk show that has the director watching a movie with fellow film fanatics in order to praise or skewer Hollywood’s latest. The subject this week? The Amazing Spider-Man. Of course, that is not the primary draw this time out as it most likely is the guest appearance by the godfather of comic book characters, Mr. Stan Lee. Naturally, the topic of his trademark Marvel cameos was the first topic to discuss.

Andrew Garfield’s ‘Spider-Man’ Climbs to Weekend Box Office Win

Jeff Rosz — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 15:17:33 +0000

The Amazing Spider-Man came away with a victory of the weekend as the superhero blockbuster found another $65.0 million, bringing the film’s domestic total to $140.0 million. Although this was perhaps seen coming a mile away thanks in part to the movie’s stellar three-day debut over the Fourth of July holiday, this is still a rather impressive feat to accomplish for anyone.

Alas, the story of the weekend probably lies more with Seth MacFarlane’s Ted. The R-rated comedy continues to ride a wave of positive feedback as it only fell about 40% from week one. If people thought last week was a fluke, this week only proves to validate that Ted is for real as it is now past the $100 million mark on the domestic level a mere ten days after hitting theaters. Ultimately, we now consider MacFarlane a lock to do more movies because of this big screen success his first time out.

Other notables from the weekend include Oliver Stone’s Savages finding $16.2 million, Katy Perry’s concert movie completing a four-day open of $10.3 million, and Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love which unexpectedly found $3.5 million on a less-than-nationwide release.

Title – ($WEEKEND/$TOTAL)

1. The Amazing Spider-Man – $65 M / $140 M

2. Ted - $32.6 M / $120.2 M

3. Brave - $20.2 M / $174.5 M

4. Savages - $16.2 M / $16.2 M

5. Magic Mike - $15.6 M / $72.8 M

6. Madea’s Witness Protection - $10.2 M / $45.8 M

7. Madagascar 3 - $7.7 M / $196.0 M

8. Katy Perry: Part of Me - $7.2 M / $10.3 M

9. Moonrise Kingdom - $4.6 M / $26.9 M

10. To Rome with Love - $3.5 M / $5.3 M

‘Savages’ and ‘Katy Perry’ Debut Soft As ‘Spider-Man’ Reigns Over Friday’s Box Office

Jeff Rosz — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:55:07 +0000

The Amazing Spider-Man continues to exceed expectations with another $20.7 million on Friday bringing its total domestic haul to a whopping $95.7 million in its first four days of release. Although this is the clear headliner of today’s box office report, it should be noted that the week also saw incredible performances out of holdovers from last weekend especially Ted which banked another $10.5 million on the day. All-in-all, this is shaping up to be another $200+ million weekend at the theaters as family audiences continue to turn out for Brave and adults have not given up on Magic Mike.

Friday’s only opening was Savages which banked $5.6 million setting up a $15 million weekend. Oliver Stone’s latest is being criticized for its bold summer release strategy despite its low-budget nature; however, the film only cost $45 million so this is not that big of a deal. Movies like these tend to do maybe 25% opening weekend and last a while, so considering it will be the most serious R-rated film for some time, I would have to expect similar to that in terms of performance as many who just went to see Magic Mike or Ted will need their fix in the coming weeks. Ultimately, making back its budget does not seem too absurd mostly because marketing costs seemed small.

Katy Perry: Part of Me actually debuted on Thursday for those of you wondering about that one. The documentary about the pop star only found $2.7 million on its first Friday to add to its $3.1 million opening day which suggests a 4-day haul of $10 million. That is not exactly big business in the world of concert movies, but no one is going to crying about it.

Here are the top ten:

Title – ($FRIDAY/$TOTAL)

1. The Amazing Spider-Man – $20.7 M / $95.7 M

2. Ted - $10.5 M / $98.1 M

3. Brave - $6.2 M / $160.6 M

4. Magic Mike - $6.1 M / $63.3 M

5. Savages - $5.6 M / $5.6 M

6. Madea’s Witness Protection - $3.4 M / $39.1 M

7. Katy Perry: Part of Me - $2.7 M / $5.8 M

8. Madagascar 3 - $2.3 M / $190.6 M

9. Moonrise Kingdom – $1.4 M / $23.6 M

10. To Rome with Love - $860K / $2.6 M

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Creates Box Office Fireworks on Independence Day with $23.4 Million

Jeff Rosz — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:38:13 +0000

The Amazing Spider-Man is certainly making a case for its use of the word ’amazing.’ The feature did not break any box office records yesterday, but it did manage to make a substantial amount of noise by adding $23.4 million to its total which now stands at $59.3 million.

The news of this reboot’s continued success is not exactly surprising as it was just yesterday when The Amazing Spider-Man broke the all-time Tuesday record with $35.8 million. Since that record used to belong to Transformers, many figured that the feature’s $29.1 million Independence Day record might be in play; however, it was not to be. That particular offering banked $155 million in its first 6-days of release suggesting to some that The Amazing Spider-Man would end up below that mark, but still ahead of the early estimates pegging this Marc Webb-directed effort at $120 million for the same length of time.

Perhaps today’s latest box office news will have Sony upping their estimates as even after Tuesday’s whopper of a debut, the studio stuck to their initial conservative figures for the movie’s first week in release. Some are now saying that the reboot will in fact make it to the $300 million club after all even though many were writing the movie off as a simple $200 million cash grab less than a month ago.