'I was terrified': 'Spiderman' producer Amy Pascal reveals she wasn't sure if first installment would be a huge success
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The ‘Spiderman’ movie franchise has been a staple in the superhero genre for decades now, captivating audiences with its blend of action, adventure, and relatable characters. The very first ‘Spiderman’ film was released back in 2002, 23 years ago, and served as the first installment of the original ‘Spiderman’ trilogy. The movie alone mesmerized the audience with its thrilling action sequence, emotional moments, and exploration of themes such as responsibility, power, and the choices we make. Although the movie had a huge success at the box office, garnering positive critics and a huge fanbase, producer Amy Pascal had a different feeling back then.
Back in 2002, ‘Spiderman’ producer Amy Pascal was the chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Group and had been involved in the production of several successful movies. Notably, the ‘Spiderman’ franchise achieved significant box office success as Pascal played a key role in bringing the beloved Marvel superhero to the big screen.
Unfortunately, in 2015, she stepped down from her chairman’s role following a cyberattack on the company’s servers. However, she later started her own production company called ‘Pascal Pictures’ and produced blockbuster movies such as ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Spiderman: Homecoming’ and its sequels. Recently, she revealed a personal insight into the first ‘Spiderman' movie during ‘Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse’ premiere.
‘I was terrified’
‘Spiderman’ producer Amy Pascal recalled her terror during the ‘Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse’ premiere when she revealed the world premiere of the first movie in 2002 which she will never forget. As the leader of Sony at the time, Pascal was incredibly concerned about the film's potential failure. She expressed her anxiety, claiming she “spent the entire time in the ladies room crying,” as per Variety. She said, “I sure did.”
Pascal continued, “I was terrified. How do you know? You never know!” However, she exclaimed that her fears disappeared on the opening day adding, “It was one of the greatest days of my life.”
The first installment turned out to be a huge hit and earned $100 million in the first three days. The movie starred Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, and Rosemary Harris and was directed by Sam Raimi. The movie alone garnered $825 million and gave rise to a decades-long franchise.
‘Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse’ huge success
The recent installment of the blockbuster franchise ‘Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse’ garnered $226 million domestically and $390 million globally in the first two weeks after its release. Its success has surpassed the entire box office run of its predecessor, ‘Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse’. The movie stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales and Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy.
While Pascal is no longer Sony’s boss, she remains the producer of ‘Spiderman’ saga. She said, “I am very grateful to be a part of this for a very long time.” Additionally, Pascal revealed there are a lot of Spidey projects in the works and said, “You’ll see all of it, it’s all happening.”
She continued, “Spiderman movies always work when they’re movies about emotion. That’s why people go to see films.” Pascal concluded reflecting on accomplishments and hard work, “I’m not calm. If I ever get calm, shoot me.”