This turned out to be a mistake, as the storyline still to this day feels very much jammed in and out of place in the finished film.
Despite the blockbuster making a ton of money, ultimately it wound up killing the franchise, as Raimi’s plans for Spider-Man 4 were nixed, and eventually Sony decided to reboot everything with the Amazing Spider-Man titles.
According to reports, Sam Raimi’s primary focus in the making of Spider-Man 3 was showcasing the villain Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), but he got pressured by the studio to include Venom as a character given his extreme popularity among comic book fans.