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Spider-Man: No Way Home has proved that, no matter what divides us, there is something we can all agree on – that the sight of three Spider-Men on screen is more than our bodies can handle.
This seems to be the message we are getting from videos coming out of screenings of the movie, which show audiences screaming, shouting and breaking out into spontaneous standing ovations during a key scene.
At this point, you know what the scene is (and if you do not, you are about to get it spoilt). It is the scene where Ned (played by Jacob Batalan) uses Doctor Strange's ring to open up portals into parallel universes, bringing the Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire versions of Spider-Man into the MCU alongside the current Peter Parker, Tom Holland.
Our writers saw this reaction. At one London screening attended by a Newsweek writer, the audience broke into cheers and applause so loud that Garfield was drowned out for his first minute of screentime, while one cinema-goer physically jumped out of their chair with excitement.
These reactions were not exclusive to paid screenings. Another Newsweek writer saw the film at a press screening the day before its UK release, and experienced a similar response among the assembled press (who you would think would be above that sort of thing).
The reactions have been so extreme, in fact, that viewers are going into screenings to film the reactions of their fellow audience members. And while we cannot condone the use of recording technology in theaters, the resulting videos are a fascinating record of the sorts of reactions that Marvel movies can bring out of people. (It should also be noted that most of these videos show packed houses, showing that people will not let something like a highly infectious new variant of COVID get in the way of enjoying a Spider-Man film.)
No Way Home released in some territories outside of the US on Wednesday, October 15, meaning that the first audience reaction videos came from them.
Here is a typical one, featuring an audience watching a Spanish-language dub of the film:
The first gasps can be heard when Ned opens the portal and we see the back of a man in a Spider-Man suit – a man who seems to be noticeably taller than Tom Holland. The clapping begins even before the star takes his mask off, and reaches its peak when Andrew Garfield takes the mask off.
In an audio recording, meanwhile, we can hear audible an "oh my god" as the character enters.
The most impressive one so far, however, came on December 16. The video starts just before Ned summons Tobey Maguire, but the screaming still seems to be going from the first reveal. When Maguire appears, there are loud screams in the audience, and we can see viewers standing up with their arms in the air.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now.
