Japan bitten by Spidey fever

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STORY: A super hero dropped into Tokyo on Wednesday (June 13) to launch the latest installment of the Spider-Man franchise.

One of this summer's most eagerly awaited blockbusters, "The Amazing Spider-Man" delves into the origins of teenager Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, and tells of the crusader that 17-year-old eventually becomes.

"Spider-man has always been the only teenage super hero, and the most human one in my humble opinion. And that's just one of the things that sets him apart. And he's all too human. What's wonderful about him is he goes through the same adolescent problems as all teenagers - and makes him ultimately relatable," Spider-Man lead actor Andrew Garfield told Reuters.

Spider-man's latest installment reboots the modern movie franchise that began with 2002's "Spider-Man" starring Tobey Maguire as the comic book crime fighter.

Over three films, the franchise amassed around 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in ticket sales, and for the fourth movie, its makers decided to take a fresh look at the series, bringing in a new director and hiring Garfield to replace Maguire, 36.

Emma Stone, 23, who has been linked romantically with Garfield off-screen, portrays Parker's first love interest, Gwen Stacy, in the movie.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" opens in Japan ahead of the rest of the world on June 30. It hits the big screen in the U.S. on July 3.