Many films have been credited with "saving" the box office in 2021, but it's clear now that honour belongs to Spider-Man: No Way Home. The latest Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios blockbuster has performed at pre-pandemic levels commercially, all while scoring rave reviews and overwhelmingly positive verdicts from those who paid to watch it in theaters.
Recently, there was speculation that the movie could be an Oscar contender, and The Hollywood Reporter has now confirmed that Sony Pictures will give the web-slinger's latest adventure a proper campaign. That will include screenings for Academy members, "For Your Consideration" advertising, and special Q&As, etc. all meant to schmooze voters.
Talking to the trade, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said that he hopes Academy members will "think about the artistry that goes into storytelling that connects with a wide range of people on a very emotional level," noting, "It’s a good thing when people are in a theater and they stand up and cheer. It’s a good thing when people are wiping tears because they’re thinking back on their last 20 years of moviegoing and what it has meant to them. That, to me, is a very good thing - the sort of thing the Academy was founded, back in the day, to recognize."
Unfortunately, the Academy and other "prestigious" award ceremonies do tend to look down their noses on superhero movies (and blockbusters in general), and for Tom Holland, that's unacceptable.
"You can ask [Martin] Scorsese ‘Would you want to make a Marvel movie?’ But he doesn’t know what it’s like because he’s never made one," the actor says. "I’ve made Marvel movies and I’ve also made movies that have been in the conversation in the world of the Oscars, and the only difference, really, is one is much more expensive than the other. But the way I break down the character, the way the director etches out the arc of the story and characters - it’s all the same, just done on a different scale. So I do think they’re real art."
"I mean, you can also ask Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr. or Scarlett Johansson - people who have made the kinds of movies that are ‘Oscar-worthy’ and also made superhero movies - and they will tell you that they’re the same, just on a different scale," Holland continued. "And there’s less Spandex in ‘Oscar movies.'"
The whole piece is worth reading, as there are a lot of interesting comments and insights from Sony Pictures boss Tom Rothman ("[It's] essential that the Academy does not lose its connection with quality commercial cinema") and Spider-Man: No Way Home producer Amy Pascal ("We all got in this business to make movies that people want to see, that make people feel things, and I think this movie legitimately does that").
Does Spider-Man: No Way Home deserve to win "Best Picture" at the Oscars? That's up for debate, but there is simply no denying that the movie should at least be recognised given its achievements. The box office receipts are part of that, though when you have people standing up to cheer because they've overcome with emotion...well, that sounds like a winner to us.