Spider-Man 2 was unstoppable, sweeping through the North American box office like a tidal wave.
In May, every entertainment outlet in the U.S. was singing the same tune: Spider-Man 2!
In its second week, the North American box office dropped by 48.2%, but it still raked in a hefty $112 million, holding strong at number one!
The story of Spider-Man 2 picks up right where Spider-Man 1 left off. There's no need to rehash Spidey's origin—it dives straight into more emotional depth and action-packed scenes. Compared to the first film, it's a step up in terms of entertainment and pure fun!
Sure, critics gave higher marks to Dunn Walker's Spider-Man 1 for its depth and meaning, but Ridley Scott's Spider-Man 2 has way more momentum, buzz, and fan love than the first one did two years ago!
Building on the perfect foundation laid by Spider-Man 1, this sequel leans hard into fun and entertainment, setting the tone for the entire Avengers franchise.
And Spider-Man's snarky, motormouth vibe? It's on full display here, stealing the show.
Ten days after its release, Spider-Man 2 hit $320 million at the North American box office!
It became the fastest film to break the $300 million mark in North America!
And the record-breaking streak wasn't over yet.
But the next week? That's when the real drama kicks in.
George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, directed by the man himself, was about to hit theaters after a whirlwind of high-profile hype!
The two most anticipated films of the summer were squaring off in May!
This wasn't what Fox, Universal, Lucasfilm, or Dunn Pictures wanted to see.
The distributors, 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures, had multiple discussions about the release schedules for both movies.
Dunn Pictures had Spider-Man 2 locked in for May, Pirates' League: Curse of the Black Pearl set for July, and Signs slated for August.
Universal's take? They wanted Star Wars: Episode II bumped to June, staggering the big releases so everyone could breathe a little easier.
Fox, though? They weren't having it.
Are you kidding?
The Spider-Man series might be a juggernaut, but this was Star Wars!
The biggest IP in America!
Move Star Wars: Episode II? No chance.
If anyone's shifting, it should be Spider-Man 2 sliding to June.
After several dead-end talks, Universal checked in with Dunn—would he budge?
Dunn's response was immediate: "Change the date? Not happening!"
Spider-Man 2 wasn't scared of any movie!
20th Century Fox, riding high on Star Wars: Episode II, had the guts to challenge Dunn Pictures head-on. Fine by Dunn—he was ready to bring it.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones was, hands down, one of the weakest entries in the franchise. Back in his past life, it barely scraped by with $300 million in North America and $650 million worldwide—pretty underwhelming.
Dunn even asked Natalie about it. How'd the movie turn out?
Her answer was blunt: "Lucas is getting old. He should retire!"
That just fueled Dunn's confidence.
June might not have any Dunn Pictures releases, but Universal had a film Dunn cared about: The Bourne Identity.
It wasn't a huge investment, and Universal wasn't banking on it to be a blockbuster.
Dunn, though? He knew the Bourne series had legs. If it went up against Spider-Man 2 in the same slot, it'd get crushed. But pitted against Star Wars: Episode II? It might just break through.
Now, with Spider-Man 2 and Star Wars: Episode II—two hyped-up sequels—duking it out in May, June was wide open. That could give The Bourne Identity room to grow, which might work out better for Dunn Pictures and Universal in the long run.
Vivendi was on the ropes—shareholder and management disputes were spiraling out of control.
Dunn already saw Universal Pictures as his for the taking.
CFO Brandy Norris had lined up talks with several banks, ready to secure $4–5 billion in loans at a moment's notice.
Everything was in place. All they needed was the final push.
Once Vivendi imploded, Dunn Pictures could swoop in, snag the prize, and bring Hollywood back to Hollywood!
Universal was within reach!
…
Vivendi's mess was growing, and Disney's chaos was heating up too.
After Roy Disney and Stanley Gold quit, their "Save Disney" campaign started gaining serious traction.
They launched a website, SaveDisney.com, as their base to rally against Michael Eisner's reign.
Using the internet, they aimed to shake up the sluggish corporate system, make it more democratic, and win over dissenting shareholders to vote "no."
On May 13, they dropped an open letter:
"It's time. All Disney shareholders need to take the first step to push for the change this company desperately needs… Join us. Vote against Michael Eisner, George Mitchell, Judith Estrin, and John Bryson on the board… A 'no' vote sends a message the board can't ignore… It'll force them to face a widespread belief: major changes are needed at the top and throughout management…"
Beyond slamming Eisner, the letter tore into George Mitchell, the chairman of the governance committee. They claimed he did next to nothing at Disney yet pocketed over $1 million a year—purely for the prestige!
The attack on Mitchell actually hit harder than the one on Eisner.
Why? Because George Mitchell was a big deal!
Former Democratic Party leader and Senate Majority Leader, he was a legit political heavyweight.
After leaving the Senate, he brokered peace in Northern Ireland with nothing but words—no guns, no bloodshed—ending a century-long conflict.
That earned him a Nobel Peace Prize, plus gigs as chancellor or honorary chancellor at multiple universities.
Over the past two years, Disney had been losing ground to Viacom in their rivalry.
It wasn't just Viacom's commercial wins—Sumner Redstone's political clout was a game-changer.
Eisner got the memo: to take on Viacom, he needed political muscle. So, he shelled out big to bring George Mitchell on board as a director and governance committee chair.
It was a twofer: keep Roy Disney and Stanley Gold in check internally while countering Redstone's influence externally.
But he didn't see it coming—Mitchell became a prime target for Roy Disney's attacks.
A $1 million salary for a guy like George Mitchell? Was that even a lot?
Eisner was ticked off!
Mitchell, though, couldn't take the heat. He was a politician with plans to keep serving the federal government—reputation was everything. If Eisner couldn't fix this mess, Mitchell was ready to bail and get out of Disney's PR volcano.
Eisner wasn't about to let that happen. He'd jumped through hoops to poach Mitchell from Viacom and go toe-to-toe with Redstone in a showdown for the ages.
He'd even floated the idea of Mitchell as co-chairman or president, but the guy had too many side gigs to dive into day-to-day management.
No way Eisner was letting him go that easily!
After mulling it over, he turned to Dunn for help—again.
Disney had already greenlit prep for The Chronicles of Narnia 2, with Ang Lee, the Chinese-American director, back at the helm.
ABC Group was also teaming up with Dick Clark Productions to fast-track American Gladiators, tweaking it to fit Disney's vibe.
To win over investor confidence, Disney needed to play all its cards—and fast.
With Spider-Man 2 tearing up North America, cashing in on Dunn Walker's name was a no-brainer.
It was time to launch Disney's live-action remakes of their animated classics.
This wasn't about money.
It was about market impact.
Wave the flag, borrow the tiger's roar!
Use Dunn's fame and clout to prop up Disney and back Eisner!
"Dunn, you've got to help me this time!"
Michael Eisner's tone was desperate.
Dunn's reply? Calm as ever—and it nearly choked Eisner with one line:
"Oh, help you… what's in it for me?"