Spider-Man: No Way Home
is one of those MCU movies that sells itself. It’s not just because Spider-Man is the most popular Marvel character. If that were the case, then Homecoming and Far From Home would have been even bigger successes than they turned out to be. It’s because the No Way Home sequel is a story that nobody has told in a live-action format. We had a Spider-verse animated feature that did tremendously well. But that’s a Sony standalone movie that has nothing to do with the MCU. No Way Home will be the first live-action multiverse Spider-Man story of the MCU, which makes the film so exciting. And that’s why Jon Watts is probably right when he says that No Way Home is basically Spider-Man: Endgame.
In pre-pandemic times, No Way Home would have done tremendously well at the box office. The opening weekend would have probably set records for Spider-Man movies. And the film would have easily made $2 billion at the box office. But we’re living in different times, and No Way Home will only set pandemic records.
Regardless of the context, No Way Home sells itself. The film’s big multiverse spoiler leaked months ago. Leak after leak told us that Tom Holland isn’t going to be the only Peter Parker in the story. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will visit the MCU from their realities, joining forces with Holland’s Parker. This is the kind of significant No Way Home spoiler that’s nearly impossible to avoid, as everyone has been talking about it.
No Way Home sells itself
As a result, the film has been the talk of the town for most of the year. And the chatter intensified in recent months, as some of the big leaks dropped right after the first trailer arrived. Sony hit some of them with copyright claims, effectively telling the world that the images showing Garfield and Maguire are real.
If ever there was a similarly popular movie with fans, that was Avengers: Endgame. Just like No Way Home, a massive amount of leaks dropped ahead of the Endgame release. Those leaks told us that many of the dead Avengers would appear in Endgame, despite having died in Infinity War. The effect on the box office was massive. Every MCU fan out there wanted to watch the movie in theaters.
With all that in mind, it’s not surprising to see that Sony and Marvel aren’t in a hurry to start the marketing campaign. We don’t even have a poster for the film, with less than two months to go until its release.
But Sony and Marvel are slowly picking up their marketing efforts. We’ll see plenty of interviews with the cast and crew. We’ll also get more No Way Home videos as we approach December 17th. But it’s Empire setting the tone. The magazine is teasing its December edition, which will feature two exciting No Way Home covers.
Spider-Man: Endgame
Empire
published images from No Way Home and excerpts from the interviews that will appear in the December issue. In those interviews, director Jon Watts said they’re “definitely trying to be ambitious” with the movie:
How ambitious? “It’s ‘Spider-Man: Endgame’,” he says, laughing, but seemingly not joking. Part of that ambition? Bringing across some familiar villains from previous Spider-Man films that, until now, haven’t been a part of Marvel Studio’s interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe – including Alfred Molina’s Otto Octavius (aka Doctor Octopus, aka Doc Ock), who formerly menaced Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker way back in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2.
Endgame
comparison aside, Empire’s coverage of No Way Home will address the big elephant in the room, as seen above. We’ve seen Tom Holland comment on his work with Alfred Molina, and he’ll address it in the Empire interviews as well:
“When I was first pitched the idea, I was like, ‘Wow, that would be awesome if we could pull it off’,” says Spidey himself, Tom Holland, of the prospect of bringing in famous former foes. “‘But there’s just no way it’s going to work. You’re just not going to be able to get everyone to do what they need to do. It’s just not going to happen.’ But it did happen. And it’s crazy.”
Will Empire actually confirm that Garfield and Maguire are in the movie? The teaser article doesn’t say, and we can only speculate on the matter. If Sony releases another trailer that will show all three Spider-Man versions by December, then the magazine should cover it. But it doesn’t really have to. No Way Home has reached the same levels as Endgame when it comes to buzz, even without any big confirmations.
Assuming Sony doesn’t delay it again, Spider-Man: No Way Home will premiere on December 17th.
