"Spider-Man: New Day" earned more than $930 million worldwide in its first weekend, the second-best opening in history, while Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," released in early July, has passed $990 million, according to film critic David Schneiderov, who spoke to the National News Service.
Schneiderov said summer was not always a strong season for American cinema. He said Hollywood distributors realized after "Independence Day" became a box office hit that summer could also be a profitable period, and began releasing major films during those months, citing the new "Minions," "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man" as recent examples.
No sign of declining taste, critic says
Schneiderov said the new Spider-Man film's record success does not reflect a decline in audience taste. He described it as purely commercial cinema aimed at making money, adding he was more interested in seeing "The Odyssey" since Nolan is a smart director, while Spider-Man targets younger viewers who make up most theater audiences. He said bad films would not earn that much money, and quoted Russian director Sarik Andreasyan's response to critics who praised Andrei Tarkovsky: if you're so smart, where's your money?
Russian theaters and the "Kolobok" release
Russian theaters were previously advised to delay the release of the new Spider-Man film, starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, until August 20 to support the Russian film "The Last Warrior: Kolobok," set for release on August 6. Schneiderov said that if the American film were legally released in Russia, nothing would be left of "Kolobok." Alexei Voronkov, head of the Association of Cinema Owners, said summer is always difficult for theaters, and that without "Kholop 3" and the success of "Michael" this summer, the situation would have been a global catastrophe.
