{"id":162738,"date":"2022-01-06T11:28:18","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T17:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=162738"},"modified":"2022-01-06T11:28:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-06T17:28:18","slug":"spider-man-and-cinema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/spider-man-and-cinema\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Spider-Man: No Way Home Save Cinema (or Kill It)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man pulled big returns at the box office, but at what cost\u2014what do your Spidey-senses say?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like many film fans worldwide, my winter break was spent inside watching lots and lots of movies. Not only did I catch the latest hybrid releases of big-budget streaming blockbusters like Matrix: Resurrections<\/a><\/em> and Don\u2019t Look Up<\/a><\/em>, and revisit many cinema classics like Days of Heaven<\/a><\/em> and Point Break<\/a><\/em>, I even ventured out to a movie theater to watch the latest Marvel film\u2014Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, while there\u2019s no real reason to explore my critical analysis of the film (in short, I liked it), it’s worth discussing how Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/em> did at the box office. And, what that might ultimately mean for the future of cinema in our crazy, hybrid, theatrical and streaming world<\/a>, which has yet to find stable ground since spring of 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Spider-Man<\/a>
Spider-Man in action pose, ready to pounce. Image via Columbia<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/em> Box Office Returns<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With numbers continuing to climb, even early reports for Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/em>\u2019s box office numbers have the film grossing well over one billion dollars worldwide\u2014quickly making it the highest-grossing film of 2021 (and maybe even 2022, when all is said and done), as well as currently the 12th highest-grossing film of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not too bad for a film released during another wave of the global pandemic<\/a>, which has shuttered theaters<\/a> across the globe and caused the vast majority of film-goers to at least rethink their in-theater vs. at-home viewing habits. (In fact, Variety reports<\/a> that even with Spider-Man\u2019s <\/em>end-of-year boost, box office numbers are still over 80% down from pre-pandemic levels.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, while many in the film industry can look at these results and declare that the theatrical experience is back and even better than before, we might want to take a look at the bigger picture as to what\u2019s going on here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for aspiring filmmakers<\/a> in particular, we\u2019ll need to ask ourselves: Is this the future we really want?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Pushing Out Mid-Budget Competitors<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n

So Licorice Pizza won\u2019t be playing at my local 9-screen Odeon cinema.

Spider-Man: NWH is playing 11 times a day \ud83d\ude2c

The Kings Man, 5 plays a day.

The Matrix, 6 plays a day.

A Paul Thomas Anderson film getting no love. That\u2019s so sad. pic.twitter.com\/zg80SfX1HC<\/a><\/p>— The Last Action Heroes (@TL_ActionHeroes) December 28, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>