We’re only six months into the year and already, 2017 is shaping up to be one to remember for Marvel Studios.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn’s space oddity that continued the rip-roaring adventures of Star-Lord and the gang, has already cemented its status as one of the year’s biggest blockbusters with a worldwide haul of $844 million – so far, at least – and that’s before you factor in one simple, yet wildly exciting fact: For the first time in the MCU’s lucrative history, Marvel Studios is launching three superhero tentpoles in the space of 12 months. Thor: Ragnarok will be the one to give the studio its riotous encore in November, but in between Star-Lord and the God of Thunder is the bouncy kid of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Peter Parker.
Yes, Spider-Man: Homecoming has fast become one of summer’s biggest tentpoles ever since Tom Holland first swung into action during Civil War, plucking that famous shield from Cap’s wanting hands in the process. Fast forward 12 months and change and the British rising star is about to headline his own Spider-Man solo movie.
Make no mistake, the excitement is palpable, and now that Star-Lord and Co. are beginning to retreat out of the limelight – expect Marvel’s lovable A-holes to crop up in Avengers: Infinity War, before reconvening for the confirmed third volume in the Guardians saga – the focus is shifting towards Jon Watts’ upcoming reboot. With just mere weeks to go before it swings into view, early buzz is starting to build and according to Twitter user @DanielRPK, the studio’s got another hit on their hands.
Taking to the social media platform this weekend, he noted that Homecoming is the “perfect Spider-Man film” he’s been waiting for his whole life, while also making the bold claim that it’s the best big screen outing for the character since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, a movie often considered to be one of the best in the genre. Finally, he noted that the upcoming blockbuster is a ton of fun and comes with a great cast and great action. In fact, the only criticism he had was levelled towards the villain (why are we not surprised?), saying the Vulture was “meh.” Other than that though, it was nothing but praise, and we’ll hopefully feel the same way in a few weeks from now.
Spider-Man: Homecoming slings into theatres in time for July 7th. Word is that Jon Watts’ reboot is scoring relatively well in Marvel’s internal screenings, too, while analysts predict a relatively strong opening weekend in the region of $135 million. Stay tuned for more on that one as we inch closer to launch, but so far, things look very promising indeed.
