2021 ended with quite a bang on the superhero movie front, as the Jon Watts-directed Spider-Man: No Way Home swung into theaters just two weeks before the year was over. Between all the good reviews and collecting over $1.7 billion globally, Tom Holland’s third Spider-Man movie, and sixth outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall, is unquestionably a gigantic success. There’s even been discussion about if the movie should be nominated for Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards, but Holland will be ok if this doesn't end up happening.
This topic came up when Tom Holland was speaking with Reelblend cohost Kevin McCarthy about his upcoming movie Uncharted, based on the same-named video game series. When the conversation turned to Spider-Man: No Way Home, McCarthy shared how much he liked the latest MCU installment across the board and felt that the movie as a whole and Holland himself deserve recognition at the Oscars. The actor responded:
We’re all incredibly proud of the film. It would obviously be a huge honor if it was nominated for an Oscar. But I think that’s not how we like to validate ourselves. We like to validate ourselves with the love we receive from the general public. And so far that has been through the roof. So for me with this film, and with this character, I’ve already achieved everything I would like to.
Usually superhero movies are only recognized in the Oscars’ technical categories, with some exceptions including Black Panther being nominated for Best Picture and Logan being nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. So Spider-Man: No Way Home faces an uphill battle when it comes to being considered for the likes of Best Picture and Best Actor, but as Tom Holland sees it, the general public praising the movie is a good enough reward. Holland has also been enjoying the videos capturing audiences’ reactions to No Way Home’s big moments, saying:
You see these fan reactions of Andrew [Garfield] coming through the portal, and I’ve never seen anything like that in the theater before. I’ve never seen that kind of audience reaction. And to be a part of that is so emotional. I can’t watch those videos without getting really really emotional.
There’s definitely no shortage of content for Marvel fans to enjoy in Spider-Man: No Way Home, particularly on the multiversal front. We knew ahead of time that Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx’s Electro, Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman and Rhys Ifans’ Lizard would be causing trouble in the MCU, but once the movie itself was released, sure enough, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Peter Parker swung into action later on in the story. So while Tom Holland would obviously be happy if No Way Home was nominated for some Oscars, he pleased with the final product either way. In his words:
Whether it is an Oscar movie or not, it sort of has no bearing on me. It would be amazing if it did, but if it’s not, I’m so proud of what Jon Watts has achieved.
You can read through our ending breakdown and end-credits scene guide to learn how Spider-Man: No Way Home wrapped up, but having played on the big screen for over a month now, it has cemented itself as not just one of the biggest Marvel movies, but one of the most successful movies of all time. As for what the future holds in store for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Marvel and Sonly are actively developing a fourth entry in this film series. You also won’t have any trouble finding fans online who want to see more of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Web-Slingers following their big return.
While we wait for more updates on what’s happening next with the live-action Spider-Man film series, fans of the 2018 animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse can look forward to its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) coming out on October 7. As for the 94th Academy Awards, the nominations will be announced on February 8 and the ceremony will be held on March 27.
