Top 10 Film Industry Stories of 2004: #6: Sam Raimi's Monster Year
By Kim Hollis
December 29, 2004
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Obviously, things have changed since then.
After re-defining the superhero film and setting a bar for opening weekend gross that has yet to be surpassed with Spider-Man, Raimi returned to direct the second film in the Spidey saga. In 2002, the first installment in the Spider-Man series earned $114 million in its debut weekend, $404 million in North America, and another $418 million internationally. Along with the financial gains, the film was also critically lauded as one of the best superhero movies ever to come down the pike. Could Raimi duplicate his previous success or was Spider-Man 2 destined for disappointment?
As it turns out, Spider-Man 2 was a triumph. Although it failed to match the opening record that the first film attained, it still took in a whopping $88 million in its first three days. Additionally, the sequel's worldwide total was $783 million, a smaller total than the first movie but not by much. Critically, the film is viewed as one of the better sequels ever created, with many reviewers noting that it even surpassed the original. Sam Raimi was looking like a genius in June, but his year wasn't even close to being finished.
Along with his work on the Spider-Man saga, Raimi also has a company known as Ghost House Pictures that he set in motion with his long-time production partner Rob Tapert. In October, Ghost House Pictures leapt into the spotlight as it was the production house behind one of the biggest box office surprises of the year, The Grudge, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. On a minuscule $10 million budget, the film tallied a whopping $110 million domestically, setting in motion a number of movie deals for Ghost House. In addition to the forthcoming Boogeyman, which sees release in the first quarter of 2005, they've also set up a Grudge sequel, a remake of The Evil Dead, and new scary movies called Scarecrow, 30 Days of Night and Dibbuk Box. It's a return to his beginnings, and just seems an appropriate direction for Raimi to take.
Going forward, in addition to the Ghost House projects, Raimi has Spider-Man 3 on tap, and he's already working toward getting that film's storyline set and putting the production in motion. BOP will sure keep rooting for him - he's easily one of our favorite success stories working in the business today.