Surprise appearances for actor Tom Holland at screenings of his movie Spider-Man: No Way Home were canceled due to fears over the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Variety, Holland and another actor, left unnamed due to it spoiling their appearance in No Way Home, were supposed to swing into early Friday evening showings at two cinemas in Los Angeles. However, these plans were canceled only hours before the screenings were to take place because of potential crowd control issues and concerns around the increase in COVID-19 cases.
Despite the current situation surrounding the pandemic, Spider-Man: No Way Home scored big at the domestic box office during its first day of release. It earned $121.5 million during its opening day alone, making it the second highest opening day of all time. The record still belongs to Avengers: Endgame, which achieved a whopping $156.7 million on its opening day in 2019. This makes No Way Home the first movie since the beginning of the pandemic to hit $100 million in its opening weekend.
No Way Home is the third dedicated Spider-Man movie with Holland in the iconic red suit, and there are already plans for future outings. When asked to clarify conflicting reports about what comes next for Holland and Peter Parker, Marvel Studios President and Marvel Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige said, "[Spider-man franchise producer Amy Pascal] and I and Disney and Sony are talking about -- yes, we're actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don't want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after Far From Home. That will not be occurring this time."
Holland also spoke about the potential future for his Spider-Man, acknowledging that he "loved every minute" of his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and thanking those who made it possible. "I've been so grateful to Marvel and Sony for giving us the opportunity and keeping us on and allowing our characters to progress," he said. "It's been amazing,"
However, Holland is also aware that things need to progress, saying, "I don't want to be responsible for holding back the next young person that comes in who deserves it just as much. I would love to see a future of Spider-Man that's more diverse -- maybe you have a Spider-Gwen or a Spider-Woman. We've had three Spider-Mans in a row; we've all been the same. It'd be nice to see something different."
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing exclusively in theaters.
Source: Variety