Some critics are saying that the massive success of the new movie, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” shows beyond a doubt that movie audiences are seeking films with substance and heart, not woke messaging that’s nothing more than thinly veiled propaganda for Leftist causes.
And some proof they’re citing is how “No Way Home” just smashed box office expectations, raking in $253 million domestically opening weekend, according to Variety. Before this, no post-COVID-19 film had managed to cross the $100 million mark in just one weekend.
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ proves people still go to the movies
Others have tried, however. “Spider-Man’s” monstrous success comes in the recent wake of Spielberg’s huge “West Side Story” flop that failed despite an aggressive marketing campaign in Hollywood. Critics blamed a surge in the virus with the Omicron variant going strong as a reason people just didn’t want to go to the movies. But “No Way Home” proves there’s something else going on.
Critics and fans both adore the latest “Spider-Man” movie, with the Observer calling it, “An overflowing, funnel-web cornucopia of treats for Spider-fans.” A ReelViews critic said, “As superhero movies go, this one offers its share of satisfying moments and is guaranteed to warm the heart of any Spider-Man movie fan, regardless of when their fandom started.”
The consensus is that this film was made with the fans in mind and differs from what Disney has done in the past. This is likely because, technically, Sony still owns the film rights and creative control despite being under the gigantic Disney umbrella.
‘No Way Home’ delivered timeless messaging fans were craving
And then there was Breitbart, who called out what many moviegoers and critics were implying but not explicitly stating.
“Newsflash: If you make a decent movie that seeks to entertain and move — instead of lecture and shame — we will show up,” John Nolte wrote. “‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ does precisely that. You will not only have a great time at the movies again, but there’s no gay, transsexual, or racial nonsense. This movie is about only one thing: Delivering the goods.”
On the whole, action movies tend to out-perform more thoughtful films. But even these types of storylines have been suffering lately. “Black Widow” bombed because of overtly feminist themes that superseded the central narrative. “Eternals” had a similar issue because audiences saw the extraordinarily politically correct agenda and rebelled against it.
Moviegoers are used to experiencing a point of view in the entertainment industry; that’s been woven into the fabric of Hollywood for decades. But we’ve reached a point where sending a message has become the singular message and that doesn’t resonate with fans. At the very least, they need to be entertained too.
Peter Parker makes mistakes and learns from them
“No Way Home” has Peter Parker (Tom Holland) visit Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) with the request that everyone forgets he’s a superhero. But our leading man quickly learns that actions have consequences. Peter Parker makes mistakes, but the movie also includes a place for second chances and redemption. Plus, there are nods to American pride in the film, which is virtually nonexistent in the rest of Hollywood.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is currently in theaters. It has rated 94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has a 99% fan score.