Web OF success
Holland a hit as latest Spider-Man
The 21st century has been good to SpiderMan — and the three actors who played him.
Tobey Maguire scored with Sam Raimi’s supersuccessful trilogy (20022007) about the Marvel-ous New York teenager bitten by a radioactive spider and given superhuman powers.
Maguire’s Spidey had the required “Gee whiz!” attitude as the orphan in awe of his newly acquired powers.
When Andrew Garfield, 29, starred in 2012’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” and its 2014 sequel, the focus shifted dramatically and his
reign ended prematurely.
Sony then forged an agreement with Marvel/ Disney in which they continue with Spider-Man’s starring vehicles while Disney features Spidey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That’s why Tom Holland debuted as Spidey in the 2016 Avengers saga “Captain America: Civil War” and found stardom a year later — at 21 — with “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
One might think “SpiderMan: Far From Home” would be vulnerable to socalled franchise fatigue. It’s the third Marvel Studiosproduced movie to hit theaters this year, following blockbusters “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: Endgame.” It’s also the third “Spider-Man” film in as many years, including last year’s animated “SpiderMan: Into the SpiderVerse.”
And yet “Far From Home,” which cost $160 million to produce before factoring in marketing costs, has much working in its favor.
The new movie picks up after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” which became the second-highest grossing movie ever, not adjusted for inflation. Audiences responded well to the introduction of Holland as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which enjoyed a three-day opening of $117 million on its way to $880 million in global revenues.
A child actor who starred in London as Billy Elliott in the hit musical of the same name, Holland won a teen female fan base that shed many tears when he “died” in Iron Man’s arms in “Avengers: Infinity War” (only to be resurrected in “Avengers: Endgame”).
In “Far From Home,” Holland’s Spidey remains an insecure 16-year-old, nervous about his superhero ability and shy in his pursuit of Zendaya’s M.J.
And with the film’s release, Marvel Cinematic Universe is poised for another hit, expecting to gross a powerful $125 million in ticket sales through Sunday.