Old Films for New

Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978) vs The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

There are similarities between these two films but there are a huge amounts of differences
between original version compared to this contemporary remake.
The original Spider-Man was released in August 1978, the genre was classed as action,
family and fantasy, the running time for the film was 1 hour and 30 minutes. The rating for
this film was U meaning it was suitable for all.

The plot summary for this film is:

At the New York State University, one of Peter Parker's tutors has accidentally given three
students all the materials they need to create an atomic bomb. While Peter Parker tries to
find out what's happened, the police suspect him of the crime, and Peter has to deal with an
attractive journalist determined to get an interview with Spider-Man. Then dastardly
millionaire Mr. White shows up, and will stop at nothing to get his hands on the atomic bomb.
Spider-Man must defeat this scheming villain and stop him blowing up the World Trade
Centre...
The contemporary remake was released in April 2014, the genre was classed as action,
adventure and sci-fi, the running time for this film was 2 hours and 22 minutes. The rating for
this film was 12A.

The plot summary for this film is:

When New York is put under siege by Oscorp, it is up to Spider-Man to save the city he
swore to protect as well as his loved ones.We've always known that Spider-Man's most
important conflict has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of
Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing
Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin. It's great to be
Spider-Man. For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers,
embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen. But being Spider-Man comes at a
price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that
threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro, Peter must confront a foe far more powerful
than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his
enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.
Looking at this we can already see big differences, the run time of the film, the contemporary
is a lot longer than the original, also the genre has changed, although the action genre still
remains the same in both. Another thing to notice is the age rating the original films age
rating allows for a bigger audience whereas the contemporary remake could have restricted
its audience by not enabling the younger audience to watch. Adding to this because the films
were made years apart the old audience it originally had will still be able to watch, it is just
restricting potentially new younger members of the audience.

The plot summary alters too, theyre still both based in New York but the missions are
different in the original its based over saving the world trade center from being blown up by
an atomic bomb and the remake is about protecting the citizens of New York from villains
and to stop them and save Oscorp.

Both films are directed by different people, the original was directed by and the remake was
directed by Marc Webb.
Financial Determinants

The remake had an estimated budget of $200,000,000 and in the opening weekends it
made, $91,608,337 in the USA the film was played in 4,324 Screens. In the Philippines it
made 251,132,030 PHP and played in 532 Screen and then in Hungary it made 59,432,852
HUF.

There are no records of box office or budget for the original film, this may be because of
video sales rather than film screening so I have taken figures from another contemporary
remake Spider-Man (2002). This film was directed by Sam Raimi , rated 12A and genre
action and adventure, so again has differences but it has more similarities this time.

The budget was estimated at $139,000,000 an in the opening weekend it made

$114,844,116 in the USA playing in 3,615 Screens, it made 9,426,969 in the UK playing in
509 Screens and 5,014,690 in Spain playin in 512 Screens. It played in other countries
such as Italy,Netherlands, Canada and Argentina.
Technologies of Production

(https://youtu.be/WTnjWi1joQc)

(https://youtu.be/nbp3Ra3Yp74)
When watching both of the trailers you can clearly see the major difference in the technology
in the production, the remake is far more advance due to the major improvement and
development in technology.

In the early years of filmmaking when Spider-Man Strikes Back was made it still relied on
some sort of visual effects, in the original it uses more practical effects such as fake blood,
using climbing equipment etc. In terms of villains the film is an indication of the limits of film
technology in the 1970's. While the Spider-Man cartoon series of the day had imaginative
villains such as Doctor Octopus and The Green Goblin, the villain in the film is completely
made for the film. This is similar to other contemporary live action superhero shows such as
The Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman, which likewise did not have any comic book
villains present.

In the remake due to major technological advances over the years the production was able
to use better stunts, equipment, green screen and other visual; effects which is clearly seen
and makes a major difference in the two films. The character is able to webshot, swing etc.
This video shows a breakdown of how SFX were used in the film:
https://youtu.be/bpLXI4w2nuc

Distribution & Exhibition

The original film was made as alive action superhero film made for TV, which also had a
theatrical release abroad. It received a 17.8 rating, making it the highest performing CBS
(Television broadcasting company) production for the entire year. The production companies
involved were Danchuck Productions & Marvel Television, the film was distributed by
Columbia Pictures.

The remake The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (also released as The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise
of Electro in some markets) , directed by Marc Webb, produced by Avi Arad and Matt
Tolmach and released by Columbia Pictures. It is the fifth theatrical Spider-Man film
produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment and also the final film in the
Amazing Spider-Man franchise. Unlike the original this film was released in different formats
2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D. The film was declared a "hit" in the overseas markets with high
openings and a wide cinematic release. The film subsequently won awards for its music
composition and acting, notably one Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award and two ASCAP
Awards.
Trends
Following the original there have been many remakes and features of the character, its even
featured in other programmes such as the simpsons with the spiderpig. Also a number of
games for consoles such as Xbox, PC and playstation was made. Not only that there are
number of products based on spider-man.

The stars in the film have changed actors and directors writers have changed over time this
has a big impact as the audience always tends to make a big thing over the actors playing
the characters. In the original Spider-Man Strikes back it had Nicholas Hammond who
played Spider-Man in the 2014 Amazing Spider-Man the character was played by Andrew
Garfield.

Regulatory Issues

The age rating in the film changed in the original it was rated U which means suitable for all,
this was probably due to the fact that it was distributed on TV and the genre of it being
classed as family also has a part to play, the film had mild violence, no sex or drugs so it
was able to be shown before the TV Watershed.

The remake was rated a 12A because there's lots of city-wide violence and destruction of
property (some of which is notably more intense when viewed in 3-D). While the
crash-and-bang scenes may not scare experienced movie-going kids, there are some
emotional deaths that are sad and upsetting for all ages, particularly to anyone who isn't
familiar with the Spidey storyline. There's no drinking or sex to speak of (although Garfield
and Stone have a strong chemistry that translates into a few passionate kisses) and very
little language ("damn," "hell," etc.).
Synergies between films

The company Sony own the rights to make Spider-Man films however in 2015 Sony leased
the rights to Disney to make a live action Spider-Man film within the marvel cinematic
universe.

Disney also had TV series on their channels such as Spectacular Spider-Man on Disney XD.
Before films the inspiration and ideas originated from marvel comics.

Marvel studios, Sony Pictures and Disney all benefit from their unique partnership it helps
breathe life into already existing characters and to create spin offs.
References
En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Spider-Man Strikes Back. [online] Available at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_Strikes_Back [Accessed 13 Mar. 2017].
IMDb. (2017). Spider-Man (2002) - Box office / business. [online] Available at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/business?ref_=tt_ql_dt_4 [Accessed 13 Mar. 2017].
Io9.gizmodo.com. (2017). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Available at:
http://io9.gizmodo.com/physics-of-amazing-spider-man-2s-visual-effects-is-real-1578203707
[Accessed 13 Mar. 2017].
Marc Graser, &. and Lang, B. (2017). Spider-Man: How Sony, Marvel Will Benefit from
Unique Deal (EXCLUSIVE). [online] Variety. Available at:
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/details-spider-man-appear-in-sony-and-marvel-movies-120
1429039/ [Accessed 13 Mar. 2017].
Pluralsight.com. (2017). The Evolution of VFX in Movies: The 60s Till Now. [online] Available
at: https://www.pluralsight.com/blog/film-games/evolution-vfx-movies-60s-till-now [Accessed
13 Mar. 2017].
Spider-Man Films Wiki. (2017). T he Amazing Spider-Man (1977). [online] Available at:
http://spiderman-films.wikia.com/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_(1977) [Accessed 13 Mar.
2017].
Webb, M., Kurtzman, A., Orci, R., Garfield, A., Stone, E. and Foxx, J. (2017). The Amazing
Spider-Man 2 (2014). [online] IMDb. Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872181/
[Accessed 13 Mar. 2017].
Webb, M., Kurtzman, A., Orci, R., Garfield, A., Stone, E. and Foxx, J. (2017). The Amazing
Spider-Man 2 (2014). [online] IMDb. Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872181/
[Accessed 13 Mar. 2017].