FIRST 'SPIDER-MAN 3' REACTIONS STRAIGHT FROM TOKYO (REU, AFP, FT)

By Nancy Vialatte

�Spider-Man 3� had its world debut in Tokyo today in the presence of stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Fans in the posh Roppongi Hills area were plentiful and comments from those who saw the film positive.

Reuters reports: ��Spider-Man 3� is packed with stunning special effects such as the crumbling, morphing Sandman and an evil black suit with a life of its own that brings out a person's dark side, but the characters also show a complexity rarely seen in action movies.�

"To see Spider-Man cry so much was different," said Gerry Penacoli, a critic for Extra entertainment magazine�It's more intense -- you still have great action but certainly it's the deepest of the three. Kids and adults will learn so much more from this than from a movie that's just wham-shezam," he added.

"It's better than 'Spider-Man 2'. He's more human, there's more tension between Peter Parker and his Spider-Man character," Kumiko Hayashida, a critic who writes for entertainment Web sites told Reuters. "The story is better, more psychological. And Japanese people like animation, so they like this story because of the comic."

Preeming the film in Japan marks the first time that Sony Pictures, despite its Japanese parent company, has chosen to debut such a high-profile film in the home of the world's second-largest box office.

Agence France Presse reported that analysts said Sony's decision to launch the new "Spider-Man" in Japan was primarily symbolic as it will be out within days elsewhere in the world and can be expected to be a hit in the United States.

"Sony wants to see the reaction of the Japanese public as an indication of the reaction of the public throughout the world," said Koya Tabata, a Sony analyst at Credit Suisse Securities. "If the release doesn't get a strong reaction Sony would have to change its marketing strategies for the rest of the world," he said, but added that "Spider-Man" was "sure to be a big hit here."

Sony spent a little over $250 million on the film and launching it in Japan, home to a huge community of superhero comic fans, rather than the US is considered a savvy move to push into the faster-growing international market.

Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Michael Lynton told The Financial Times the move just made sense.

"We have noticed a real change [outside the US]," said Mr Lynton. "It used to be that movies would earn the same amount [from international markets] as they did in the US. But the international release of The Da Vinci Code and Casino Royale outperformed the US by more than two to one."

Further, Sony announced during the opening day festivities that �Spider-Man 3�s� launch date would be shifted forward to May 1 in Japan, the second-biggest "Spider-Man" market after the United States.

'Spider-Man 3' spins web from Japan (AFP)
Sony starts Spider-Man's web in Japan (FT)