Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story conceived by Michael Chabon and the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it is the second film in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, following Spider-Man (2002). The film stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, and Donna Murphy. The plot follows Peter as he tries to manage his personal life while also attempting to stop the scientist Dr. Otto Octavius from recreating a dangerous experiment.

Principal photography began in April 2003 in New York City and also took place in Los Angeles. Reshoots took place later that year and concluded in February 2004. Danny Elfman returned to compose the score. Spider-Man 2 premiered at the Fox Westwood Village Theater in Los Angeles on June 25, 2004, and was released in both conventional and IMAX theaters on June 30. It received acclaim from critics, who praised its emotional weight and visual effects, the performances of Maguire and Molina, and Raimi's directing. The film grossed $795.9 million worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing film of 2004. It was selected by the American Film Institute as one of the top 10 films of 2004.

Spider-Man 2 won Best Visual Effects at the 77th Academy Awards, and was also nominated for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. It received five Saturn Awards, including Best Fantasy Film and Best Director. Its success led to the production of Spider-Man 3 (2007). Maguire and Molina reprised their roles from Spider-Man 2 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), which uses the concept of the multiverse to connect earlier Spider-Man films to the MCU.