Spider-Man: There's a "hidden" reunion in Brand New Day
She can't be seen, but Naomi Watts is also in the new Marvel blockbuster starring Tom Holland
In "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," there's a remarkable reunion that's anything but obvious. Lead actor Tom Holland sort of runs into Naomi Watts here. However, she isn't seen – only heard: She lends her voice to Peter Parker's AI assistant E.V. What makes this "hidden" reunion special is that Tom Holland and Naomi Watts were already in front of the camera together 14 years ago – in Holland's film debut, "The Impossible."
Naomi Watts has now revealed herself as the voice of E.V. and took to social media to address Tom Holland, director Destin Daniel Cretton, and the rest of the team behind the Marvel blockbuster to celebrate the film's success:
"From playing your mom to playing your AI (100% human made). Congrats Tom, Destin, and the whole Spider-Man: Brand New Day team on the historic opening weekend!! Immensely proud to even [be] just a tiny part of this incredible film!"
The Impossible: Fight for survival
By "the role of the mother," she is referring to the character she once played in "The Impossible." The film by J. A. Bayona is based on true events and tells the story of a family that travels to Thailand in 2004 to spend their vacation there. When a devastating tsunami strikes shortly thereafter, the desperate family must fight for their survival.
The father was played by Ewan McGregor, the mother by Naomi Watts, and the twelve-year-old son by Tom Holland, who was making his film debut. Back then, no one could have imagined that the young newcomer's career would take off so spectacularly. Let alone that he would land the role of perhaps the most beloved superhero of all time. It's all the more wonderful that Holland and Watts have now reunited on the big screen.
Brand New Day: Huge box office success
As for the opening weekend of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" that Watts mentioned, the word "historic" is no exaggeration. At the domestic box office, the latest adventure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe set a remarkable record. The film grossed $360 million after its first weekend, surpassing the previous record-setting debut of "Avengers: Endgame" ($357 million) and thus marking the most successful opening of all time.
Even beyond the domestic box office, the earnings after the first weekend were impressive. At the global box office, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" grossed $932 million. It is the second-best debut of all time: Only the Marvel blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame" managed to top that, opening to $1.2 billion in 2019. Internationally, the film starring Tom Holland got off to a particularly successful start in China, where it grossed $121 million, followed by the United Kingdom with $49 million and Mexico with $38.3 million.
"Brand New Day" marks the beginning of a new chapter in Spider-Man's life. This time around, his alter ego, Peter Parker, has it anything but easy. The people around him have forgotten that he even exists – even those who were once particularly close to him. The new big-screen adventure has been well received by many critics. Among other things, Tom Holland's compelling performance has been particularly praised. To find out how critics are otherwise rating the film and what we think of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," check out our META movie review. And to get in the mood for the new Marvel adventure, you can watch the latest trailer here:
