MarvelBlog News for December 19th, 2021
As we all know, Spider-Man does whatever a spider can. And right now, a spider can draw a crowd.
We’ve got a record-shattering weekend to discuss in the latest MarvelBlog News.
A Superheroic Performance
Throughout 2021, I’ve discussed several Marvel movies and their box office performances.
Each time, I’ve added the asterisk that the films would have done even better if not for the pandemic.
Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden) in Marvel Studios’ ETERNALS. Photo by Sophie Mutevelian. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
The challenges of releasing a movie during a public health crisis have proven nigh impossible for many would-be blockbusters.
In calendar 2019, six different movies opened to more than $100 million. Since then, zero movies had done so…until now.
The number one movie in the world is Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the latest MCU release absolutely eviscerated the competition.
Photo: Marvel
Spidey opened to $253 million domestically and claimed the second-best single-day box office total along the way.
Yes, history will remember that the first day of No Way Home claimed $121.5 million.
Only Avengers: Endgame managed more, and that film didn’t open during a pandemic outbreak.
Paul Rudd attends the world premiere of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures “Avengers: Endgame” at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Spider-Man’s global revenue of $587.2 million also places it in rare air.
Only two American/European films have managed more: No Time to Die and F9: The Fast Saga.
No Way Home will surpass the better of those performers, No Time to Die’s $771 million, by this time next week. And here’s the thing.
Photo: Sony Pictures
We’ve just entered a timeframe I call the 12 Days of Box Office, the most lucrative period on the annual movie calendar.
Presuming that the latest COVID-19 outbreak doesn’t keep people away from theaters – and it definitely hasn’t yet – Spidey has more room to grow.
We haven’t had a $1 billion blockbuster in two calendar years. No Way Home should reach that level by New Year’s Day.
Photo: Marvel Mexico
Overall, we’re talking about the third-largest box office opening of all time…during a pandemic!
That’s like winning an Olympic gold medal while carrying 50-pound weights.
More about Spider-Man
I’m gonna let you in on a secret. There’s gonna be a sequel! Yes, I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but Kevin Feige wants you to know.
The head of Marvel went out of his way to tell anyone who would listen that Sony and Disney are still working together.
Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
You may recall that this relationship deteriorated after the previous Spider-Man movie, Far from Home.
Eventually, Sony pulled Spider-Man from the MCU, which it had the right to do. Everyone recognized this move as a bluff, though, including Disney.
The two parties quickly reached a new agreement, which led to this lucrative third outing. Now, producer Amy Pascal has promised another trilogy.
Source: @MCU_Direct
Tom Holland will star in these films as well. That’s important because he’s the secret sauce here, as are co-stars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon.
After a project this successful, nobody wants to mess with anything. I mean, the Cinemascore for No Way Home is an A+.
How rare is that? Only three previous MCU titles had earned that grade: The Avengers, Black Panther, and Avengers: Endgame.
Photo: Marvel
During the 21st century, only 54 movies have received an A+ Cinemascore.
No Way Home is the first one in 2021 and only the second since the pandemic’s start.
Critics similarly gushed over the movie, which is currently 94 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Source: Marvel Studios
Fans love No Way Home even more, as it has an almost incomprehensible Audience Score of 99 percent.
Spider-Man: No Way Home has checked all the boxes and quite possibly saved the theatrical movie-going experience. That’s not even hyperbole.
Several theaters have closed since March of 2020. Others were hanging by a thread and hoping that a Christmas miracle would save them.
Photo: Sony Entertainment
Peter Parker is that miracle.
The Morbius Update
Okay, let’s be realistic here. The Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters had a terrible name and only one defining trait.
This franchise holds the rights to Spider-Man and the other characters in the Spider-Verse. To its credit, Sony has milked that license for all it’s worth.
Photo: Twitter/MoviesMatrix
Also, the company finally admitted the obvious and changed the (horrible) name of the thing. Now, it’s Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, a more accurate description.
The next film in this “universe” is Morbius, whose trailer plays alongside No Way Home. This title bears the onus of following two very successful projects.
Photo: IMDb
Before No Way Home dominated the box office, Venom: Let There Be Carnage had already earned the second-most domestic box office of any 2021 title.
I admit that Morbius, a vampire movie, could prove too weird for people. Still, we’ve entered the final push for this one, as it comes out in five weeks.
Here’s a look at the final trailer:
And here’s a three-minute scene called The Transformation from the film:
This isn’t the only project in development, though. Amy Pascal confirmed that Venom 3 is in the planning stages.
Since Kraven the Hunter currently lists a release date in 2023, I suspect that Venom 3 will arrive in 2024, followed by Spider-Man 4 in 2025.
The Spider-Man villains are easier to slot onto the film schedule. What happens with Spider-Man himself isn’t entirely up to Sony.
Photo: Marvel Comics
The MCU shares the character, and Sony has learned not to tick Disney off.
The intrigue with Morbius is that it’s a weird character, and Jared Leto has never been a box office draw.
Sony is counting on the Spider-Man momentum to carry this title’s success. I wouldn’t have believed that was possible until this weekend. Now, I’m wondering…
Other Marvel Tidbits
In a huge shocking twist, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will get a sequel. You’re shocked, right?
Long before then, another Marvel story will arrive. Here’s the first look at Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur:
A special holiday surprise, courtesy of Laurence Fishburne. Here’s the new teaser for Marvel’s #MoonGirlDevilDinosaur, coming Summer 2022 to @DisneyChannel! pic.twitter.com/tej3DWWLuG
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) December 15, 2021
Devil Dinosaur is cute, but it’s no Pizza Dog! That’s a super-stylish trailer, though. It feels like Powerpuff Girls meets Teen Titans Go with some laser lights shows thrown in.
Circling back to Morbius, Michael Keaton reportedly filmed additional scenes as Vulture. He did this…last week. That’s cutting it pretty close, Sony.
Michael Keaton as Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Photo: Marvel Studios
The belief here is that Sony had some new ideas based on the closing credits scene(s) from No Way Home. And we’re always up for more Keaton as The Vulture, right?
Finally, since it’s a Spider-Man week, movie historians should read these comments from James Cameron.
The vaunted director famously wanted to do a Spider-Man movie during the early 1990s, but he never could pull the trigger on it. Here, he discusses that personal failure.
Photo: CNA Lifestyle
Perhaps the two most fascinating Hollywood what-ifs are Cameron’s Spider-Man and Tom Cruise as Iron Man.
Okay, that’s it for this week. Merry Christmas, my many loves!
