Spider-Man in film
Spider-Man, a superhero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for comic books published by Marvel Comics, has appeared in film since the 1970s. The character debuted in CBS's TV-movie pilot for the series The Amazing Spider-Man in 1977, the first of a trio of companion films including Spider-Man Strikes Back (1979) and Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (1981). Marvel Comics pursued plans for a more ambitious feature film in the 1980s, in a tumultuous development involving multiple directors, writers, and financiers. After a period of protracted litigation over the Spider-Man copyrights, Sony Pictures and subsidiary Columbia obtained the film rights under a joint agreement with Marvel in 1999.
Columbia developed a Spider-Man film trilogy directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire in the 2000s, followed by a reboot duology featuring Marc Webb as director and Andrew Garfield as the titular superhero. Marvel Studios produced another Spider-Man film series under a renewed licensing agreement with Sony, incorporating the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Three MCU films starring Tom Holland as Spider-Man were released between the 2010s and the 2020s: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), with a fourth MCU entry, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, scheduled for release in 2026. Holland has also appeared in crossover films within the MCU. The animated Spider-Verse spotlight Miles Morales, a reimagined Spider-Man voiced by Shameik Moore. Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) operates with a loosely-shared continuity to all existing Spider-Man film franchises but does not explicitly feature the character.
The Spider-Man films are highly successful, collectively grossing over $9 billion worldwide. The most successful entry, No Way Home, is the eighth highest-grossing film of all time. On average, individual films have been well received by critics, occasionally garnering awards attention.