For the video game based on the film, see Spider-Man 3 (video game). For the soundtrack of the film, see Spider-Man 3: The Official Soundtrack.
Spider-Man 3 is a
2007 superhero film written and directed by
Sam Raimi, with a
screenplay by
Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the
Spider-Man film franchise based on the
fictional Marvel Comics character
Spider-Man. The film stars
Tobey Maguire,
Kirsten Dunst,
James Franco,
Thomas Haden Church,
Topher Grace, and
Bryce Dallas Howard.
The film begins with
Peter Parker basking in his success as Spider-Man, while
Mary Jane Watson continues her
Broadway career.
Harry Osborn still seeks vengeance for his father's death, and an escaped convict,
Flint Marko, falls into a
particle accelerator and is transformed into a shape-shifting sand manipulator. An
extraterrestrial symbiote crashes to Earth and bonds with Peter, influencing his behavior for the worse. When Parker abandons the symbiote, it finds refuge in
Eddie Brock, a rival photographer, causing Peter to face his greatest challenge.
Spider-Man 3 was commercially released in multiple countries on May 1, 2007, and released in the United States in both conventional and
IMAX theaters on May 4, 2007, by
Columbia Pictures. Although the film received generally mixed reviews from critics, in contrast to the previous two films' highly positive reviews, it stands as the most successful film in the series worldwide, Marvel's most successful film,
Sony Pictures Entertainment's highest grossing film to date, as well as the second highest-grossing superhero film behind
2008's The Dark Knight.