Sam Raimi Tries to Explain the Infamous Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man 3” Dance Scene

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 is frequently compared to being the superhero genre’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in that it was both one of the most anticipated sequels ever made, made a lot of money at the box office, and received excellent reviews, although it fell flat among fans.

In the case of the latter, Raimi was less guarded in confessing that Venom wouldn’t have been in the film if he had complete creative freedom, resulting in a tedious third act that would have really benefitted from pruning 20 or so minutes from its unnecessary 139-minute running time.

However, it is the director’s fault for the Tobey Maguire cutting loose and dancing on New York City’s streets, which remains one of the most heavily criticized moments in comic book adaptation history. However, in a recent interview with Fandom, the architect of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness attempted to clarify his intentions.

“Well, we meant it to be funny, actually. It was Peter Parker’s version — this lame kid — of what it must be like to be his evil self. But he’s so whipped. He’s so out of it that that’s his take on it. And that didn’t go over well with the audience. But that’s what we were trying to do. So I’m not surprised that people… I’m glad people find it funny! We wanted it to be fun.”

Despite its many faults, Raimi is still receiving inquiries about Spider-Man 3 15 years after it was released, so at least it’s staying a relevant topic of conversation.

Watch the famous dance scene below!