Spider-Man 3 poster

Spider-Man 3

The seemingly invincible Spider-Man goes up against an all-new crop of villains—including the shape-shifting Sandman. While Spider-Man’s superpowers are altered by an alien organism, his alter ego, Peter Parker, deals with nemesis Eddie Brock and also gets caught up in a love triangle.

Trailer

Director

Sam Raimi

Writer

Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, Alvin Sargent

Studio

Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Laura Ziskin Productions

Release

May 4, 2007

Runtime

139 min

Genres

Marvel, Action Epic, Adventure Epic, Epic, Psychological Drama, Sci-Fi Epic, Superhero, Tragedy, Urban Adventure, Action

Country

United States

Budget

$258,000,000 (estimated)

Box office

$887,415,130 worldwide ($338,032,318 domestic; $151,116,516 opening weekend)

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award; 4 wins & 44 nominations total.

Cast & Characters

Tobey Maguire

Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Tobey Maguire

Kirsten Dunst

Mary Jane Watson

Kirsten Dunst

Topher Grace

Venom/Eddie Brock

Topher Grace

James Franco

New Goblin/Harry Osborn

James Franco

Thomas Haden Church

Sandman

Thomas Haden Church

Bryce Dallas Howard

Gwen Stacy

Bryce Dallas Howard

Rosemary Harris

May Parker

Rosemary Harris

J.K. Simmons

J. Jonah Jameson

J.K. Simmons

James Cromwell

Captain Stacy

James Cromwell

Dylan Baker

Dr. Curt Connors

Dylan Baker

Bill Nunn

Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson

Bill Nunn

Willem Dafoe

Green Goblin

Willem Dafoe

Cliff Robertson

Ben Parker

Cliff Robertson

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Did You Know?

Also known as "El hombre araña 3" in Spanish-language markets.

Source: IMDb · verified 2026-08-02

Thomas Haden Church broke three knuckles during the subway punch scene after being told a real brick had been swapped for a foam one, which had not actually been placed yet.

Source: IMDb · verified 2026-08-02

"Opening Montage," written by Christopher Young, Danny Elfman, and Deborah Lurie, features on the soundtrack.

Source: IMDb · verified 2026-08-02

Critical Assessment

IMDb
6.3/10
RT Critics
62%
Metacritic
59/100

Spider-Man 3 holds 6.3/10 on IMDb (709K votes), 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a Metascore of 59 from 388 critic reviews — a clear step down from Spider-Man 2 on every measure.

Though there are more characters and plotlines, and the action sequences still dazzle, Spider-Man 3 nonetheless isn't quite as refined as the first two. Rotten Tomatoes (critics consensus)

The trilogy's steepest drop-off (62% RT vs. 93% for Spider-Man 2) is widely attributed to overstuffing the film with three villains (Sandman, Venom, New Goblin) at once — a criticism that has become one of the most commonly cited cautionary tales in superhero sequel writing.

Ratings as of August 2, 2026

🤖

AI Verdict

AI-generated

Spider-Man 3's fall to 62% RT and 6.3 IMDb after Spider-Man 2's near-universal acclaim is one of the most instructive trilogy-enders in the genre — a $250M+ budget and three simultaneous villains (Sandman, Venom, New Goblin) diluted exactly the emotional focus critics praised the second film for having.

Fan & Critic Buzz

AI Summary

The public reaction is generally positive, with some fans praising Tobey Maguire's performance as Spider-Man and the film's darker tone. Others enjoy the introduction of Venom and the final battle scenes. However, some viewers feel that studio interference may have compromised the film's quality.

Reviews

  • After the success of the first two Spider-Man films, Spider-Man 3 represents Sam Raimi's inability to overcome the biggest hurdle of a third movie, a hurdle that Alien 3, The Godfather Part 3, RoboCop 3, and the list goes on could not: studio interference. Although I wish that wo…

    tmdb44006625 · 3/10
  • This movie is about Spidey's revenge and transformation to bad Spidey. It has a dark feel to it that I found one of the most appealing factors to this movie. Because we've all gotten used to Peter Parker being "your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man,” having him turn to the dark s…

  • Tobey Maguire makes such a great Spider-Man, hands down. We've seen him at his best, but in this movie, we saw him at his worst, and although I must say I wasn't that big of a fan of how cheesy he looked with that emo cut, it was still enjoyable for me watching him beat the "veno…

  • So much emotion in this movie! What a way to end a trilogy!

  • The third and final film to one of the few trilogies we have that are actually good. Tobey surely gave a whole new meaning to Spider-Man and set the bar high for the other Spider-Man movies that came out.

  • I know this is supposed to have a darker tone than the normal Spider-Man movies we see, but I found it more comedic to see Peter take on an entirely new character. Loved it though!

  • My wife isn't that big of a superhero fanatic but after watching this whole trilogy with me, I can say that she's still not a superhero fan! Still, I know she was able to enjoy the movie and how the creators told the story.

  • It still puzzles me to this day why this felt like two movies crammed into one.

  • Now that I think about it, this film just had too much going on. Compared to the first two which were both hyper-focused on just one storyline, Spider Man 3 lacked that distinct characteristic which I know most of us will agree on.

  • Out of all the Tobey Maguire Spider Man films, this one had the best effects. But with that, the overall quality of the movie in terms of the plot greatly decreased. I wish they would've stuck with the same strategies they had for the first two films.

  • I was satisfied, but that already was a disappointment. Spider Man 2 was a great sequel and I had high hopes that they would outdo themselves again this time, but sad to say third time's not gonna be the charm for Spider Man.

  • Although I'd say that Sandman's acting was pretty on point, I still feel like he could've been cut out from the movie and it still would've made sense.

  • Spider Man 3 is still pretty good but when you compare it with its other two predecessors, you can see that there is a huge step down in the overall quality of the film.

  • Man I wish they didn't have to kill off Harry so quickly after he had just reconciled with Peter. That scene broke me so much.

  • They had too many concepts that they tried to cram in one movie that it ended up being an awkward mess.

  • Tobey Maguire isn't good at being bad. Don't get me wrong, he played a great Spider-Man in the first two films but he just isn't cut for being evil.

  • I really tried my best to not hate it but it's hard not to compare it to the first two successful Spider-Man movies.

  • It felt like a totally different Spider-Man. It's such a shame because they had such a good storyline that connected the previous films.

  • Great action sequences and character development is lost when you try too hard to cram too many things into one 2-hour movie.

  • Yes, there was too much to process, but I still think it's a great ending to an epic trilogy.

From the trailer's comments

  • This TV spot scared the hell outta me as a kid. Venom alone scared me.

    @LukeTheGhostKiller · 491 likes
  • "Venom is coming" ....and there he goes.

    @MrShifty07 · 676 likes
  • 0:06 "Venom is coming... for 10 minutes"

    @NikerChannel · 322 likes
  • amazing how they are able to get all the scenes venom was in into a 30 second clip

    @drewstin77 · 285 likes
  • It’s not Sam Raimi’s fault that this movie failed.. Sony forced him to put in venom even though he wasn’t interested in the character at all..

    @Oujix · 183 likes
  • That giant symbiote thing in the final fight was badass

    @slickryder · 88 likes
  • 11 years later...we're finally getting Venom back.

    @GrimoiresVoice · 55 likes
  • Pure intensity wrapped into 30 seconds of non-stop action!

    @RandomKid5198 · 40 likes
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