The movie screening begins~
The words "Spider-Man" were projected in large letters across the cinema screen.
"Hey, Parker, Peter Parker!"
"Why are you hanging your head when you see us? Coward~"
Not long after the film started, the protagonist, Peter Parker, was bullied by several classmates. Even his beloved camera was nearly broken by a group of bad boys.
This protagonist, Peter Parker—not particularly handsome, somewhat shy, and a bit weak—made his debut.
Both parents dead, few friends, and a shy personality—it was the standard formula for the opening of a superhero movie. However, despite being an unhandsome, shy, and somewhat weak Peter Parker, he managed to capture many people's attention.
It's the Counterattack trope!
If you saw an opening like this in 2020, you'd definitely say—how cliché!
But... in the year 2000, the Counterattack trope still had a market!
"What a damn loser~"
"The protagonist looks like a total pushover!"
"True, but I'm looking forward to Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man sooner!"
That's exactly the appeal of the Counterattack trope.
Sure enough!
Before long, Peter Parker was bitten by a mysterious spider!
Super agility, super vision, super strength, super healing, Spider-Sense... In just one night, Peter Parker transformed from a weak high school student into a "super" boy!
Inside the school cafeteria.
Peter Parker started showing off!
In front of his crush, Mary Jane, he showed off a little by using his extremely agile hands to catch a tray, a cola, a hamburger, and other food items that had been accidentally tossed into the air.
"Wow~"
"Parker,
how did you do that?"
"That's amazing, Parker!"
All the students in the school cafeteria were amazed. Not only that, but Parker also successfully caught the female lead, Mary Jane, just as she was about to fall.
This scene is undoubtedly a classic moment in the Spider-Man movie, one that many people would still remember over a decade later.
In fact, there's one thing many moviegoers don't know.
Tobey Maguire, the actor who played the protagonist Peter Parker, didn't use special effects or stunts to complete the mid-air tray catch; it was a real shot!
However, to film this scene, actor Tobey Maguire spent nearly two hours shooting before finally getting it right.
"Hi, Parker, thank you." Mary Jane looked at her "good neighbor" who was hugging her with some surprise.
"Uh?"
Only then did Parker reluctantly let Mary Jane go from his embrace.
"You bastard, what did you do to my girlfriend?"
Mary Jane's boyfriend, the school bully who also frequently picked on Parker, appeared. Seeing his girlfriend being held by someone else, he immediately flared up with anger.
And then... he got countered!
The appearance of this scene naturally made the audience watching the movie feel greatly satisfied~
Counterattack tropes, trash-to-hero tropes—isn't this exactly what people watch them for... "Parker, with great power comes great responsibility!"
The movie continued~
Before he died, the protagonist's uncle, Ben Parker, said those memorable words to him.
At this moment, the Little Spider dedicated to fighting crime officially came online... "Can I see your face?"
In a dark, damp street at night, with rain falling, several men with ill intentions targeted Mary Jane.
Faced with several large men, Mary Jane naturally had no way to defend herself.
In the moment of crisis, Spider-Man made a grand entrance. With a series of moves, he easily dealt with the four men. When Mary Jane tried to catch up, Parker quickly disappeared because he wasn't wearing his mask.
But!
Just as Mary Jane turned around after losing sight of Spider-Man, he hung upside down beside her.
Deep in emotion, they shared a passionate kiss, resulting in the classic upside-down kiss.
"Wow~"
"Impressive! This shot is outstanding!"
"Every classic film has memorable shots. Undoubtedly, this upside-down kiss has left a deep impression on me. I think... I'll remember it forever."
The surrounding moviegoers couldn't help but start whispering among themselves.
Similarly, Kyle nodded with great satisfaction.
"Never mind the audience here; even as a transmigrator, I still clearly remember this upside-down kiss," Kyle thought to himself.
The invited guest, Rupert Murdoch, whispered to Kyle, "Your production of Spider-Man is excellent. This scene alone is enough to leave a lasting impression on me."
...Time passed slowly.
The movie screening ended!
Tonight, Spider-Man undoubtedly became the favorite of many moviegoers and enthusiasts; they couldn't help but want to watch it again.
Spider-Man!!!
The actor playing the protagonist Peter Parker: Tobey Maguire;
The actress playing the female lead Mary Jane: Kirsten Dunst;
The actor playing the Little Green Goblin: James Franco;
They became the brightest stars tonight, especially Tobey Maguire!
As soon as the film ended, countless audience members and reporters couldn't contain their inner excitement and wanted to interview Tobey Maguire immediately.
At this moment, Tobey Maguire's popularity completely surpassed everyone else before the premiere. Even Kyle's popularity at this moment couldn't compare.
"Thank you all for coming. I'll answer your questions one by one."
Tobey Maguire was very excited right now.
Before filming Spider-Man, he was already a somewhat well-known actor and had played the lead role several times, but he had never received such a passionate, star-studded welcome.
It was worth it; everything was worth it!
Per the production team's requirements, to portray a highly skilled Spider-Man, Tobey underwent months of physical training before filming began, including yoga, trampoline, weightlifting, running, and cycling.
"I'm going to be famous~"
Tobey Maguire suppressed his inner excitement and joy... Many viewers who were lucky enough to watch Spider-Man early still felt exceptionally excited even after leaving the venue.
Spider-Man!
With great power comes great responsibility!
Words like these continuously tumbled from their mouths.
"Man, you're asking me if Spider-Man is good? On a scale of one to ten, I'd give it a hundred!" a blonde girl said excitedly.
"Of course I'm excited right now. I wish it would open nationwide immediately so I could buy tickets and watch it three or five more times," a boy in a baseball cap shouted.
"I can only say it's wonderful, absolutely wonderful!" a college student said.
"Even if it differs slightly from the comics... it has successfully let me see my childhood again, the Peter Parker in my memory," a man in his 30s remarked.
Some audience members even shouted: "Spider-Man!"
These scenes made people in the Hollywood industry feel a bit envious.
"Boss, have they gone mad?" an executive from 20th Century Fox gritted his teeth.
Hearing this, Murdoch shook his head and said solemnly, "Our X-Men premiere didn't have such a great audience! That fellow Kyle Page has succeeded again."
Murdoch sounded a bit bitter.
However, the representatives from New Line, Columbia, Touchstone Pictures, Dimension, Lionsgate, Universal, and other film companies who were present today felt even worse.
"First Blade and X-Men, and now Spider-Man—the era of superhero movies is truly coming!"
Many people sighed with emotion and coincidentally planned to do the same thing.
—Collect the film and television rights for comic book adaptations!
If nothing else, Hollywood executives' keen grasp of the market is definitely World-class.
"500 million in box office?"
Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer exclaimed: "Maybe... its box office could exceed 600 million dollars, or even more."