The balanced and extensive line of Spider-Man products licensed by the Marvel/Sony joint venture - Spider-Man Merchandising L.P. - has been flying off shelves faster than the webhead can leap from building to building in pursuit of the Green Goblin. Leading the merchandising parade is an exciting lineup of toys, intricately detailed action figures and accessories created by Marvel's Toy Biz division.

"Spider-Man products are topping retail sales charts in every product category from comics and games to t-shirts and toys," said Bill Jemas, COO Marvel Enterprises, Inc. "Both Al Ovadia, from Sony and Russ Brown from Marvel, two of the top licensing professionals in the industry, have done a spectacular job identifying industry-leading business partners who shared our joint vision and helping them develop first-class product lines."

"It's all about confidence," Mr. Jemas continued, "Manufacturers are going the extra mile and investing the extra money that it takes to produce the best possible products. They made this commitment based on the wide demographic appeal and brand recognition of the classic character (this is Spider-Man's 40th Anniversary) and the understanding that Sony/Columbia Tri Star would support the movie with a great worldwide marketing program."

Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe, and Directed by Sam Raimi, the Spider-Man movie shattered all box office records for a three-day opening weekend by earning $114.8 million dollars. The previous best three-day gross was for Warner Brother's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which brought in $90 million dollars in 2001. Fans now caught up in Spider-Man fever are buying a wide range of products including toys, apparel, interactive entertainment, and collectibles at an astounding pace.

"We started shipping Spider-Man movie toys approximately 4 months ago and have been very pleased by the positive consumer feedback we have received and delighted by the brisk rate of sale of our products at retail. All of Spider-Man fans around the world have been anticipating the Spider-Man movie for a long time and their appreciation for our toy lines based on the movie are reflected in the early success of sales of our toys. We expect that the extraordinary, record breaking performance of the movie will further enhance the popularity and demand for the entire product line," said Alan Fine, President & CEO Toy Biz. "As a part of Marvel Enterprises, we feel very fortunate to be in the unique and enviable position to benefit both directly and through our license agreement with Toy Biz Worldwide from the pipeline of high quality action adventure themed brands of the Marvel Library."

With a library of over 4,700 proprietary characters, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused in four areas: entertainment (Marvel Studios), licensing, toys (Toy Biz) and comic book publishing. Marvel facilitates the creation of entertainment projects, including feature films, television and DVD/home video, based on its characters and also licenses its characters for use in a wide range of consumer products and services including video and computer games, apparel, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel's characters and plot lines are created by its comic book division which continues to maintain a leadership position in the U.S. and worldwide while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property. For additional information visit the Marvel Web site at http://www.marvel.com.