It has only been 15 years since Sam Raimi’s first “Spider-Man” movie, and yet the franchise is already on its second reboot. Even in Hollywood that’s speedy, and the move resulted in some criticism, and not a small amount of confusion.
Yet it turns out that, in this case, it was a savvy move by Culver City-based Sony Pictures. The studio entered into a deal with Marvel Studios/Disney, which meant that, through this latest incarnation of the popular comic book character, Spidey could become a part of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe that also includes Iron Man, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, and more. That partly accounts for the title of the new film: “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
Still, plenty of people have been asking whether we need yet another Spider-Man movie, this time starring Tom Holland as a much more youthful superhero. The numbers after the first weekend seem to suggest that Sony’s gamble and the deal with Marvel were the right move.
According to “Business World Online,” the movie generated approximately $117 million in sales in US and Canadian theaters, which is Sony’s second-largest opening ever. It’s also the second biggest debut in the Spider-Man series.
So far in 2017, Sony has placed seventh out of all the studios for box office receipts, so this is a much-needed win.
“It’s as important as any film they have released in the past 10 years,” said Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co., to “Business World.” “It is the last major franchise they have.”
Sony’s previous attempt at reviving a once-popular franchise, last year’s “Ghostbusters,” failed to draw big numbers. Of course, this success is as much down to the involvement of Marvel Studios but still, the partnership looks to have been a successful one.
Sony will continue to make Spider-Man related movies, although they might not actually feature Spider-Man himself. Films about Spidey villains Venom and the Black Cat are apparently underway, though it’s still unclear how they will connect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if at all. A parallel Spidey-verse is a bold move from Sony, and only time will tell how successful it will prove to be.
For now, Sony can enjoy the fact that it has a hit on its hands.
