The Marvel Movie That's Lighting Up Netflix Top Charts This Week
Since "Spider-Man: No Way Home" arrived in 2021 and became a cultural phenomenon, Andrew Garfield's Spidey has finally been getting some love. And you know what? It's about damn time. It was only with "No Way Home" that the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed to figure out what to do with Tom Holland's webhead, following two movies that seemed to come and go. 2012's "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its sequel, 2014's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," however, remain ingrained in my memory, mainly for Garfield's charismatic yet emotionally affecting performance as Peter Parker and for his chemistry with Emma Stone's Gwen Stacey.
Unfortunately, the general consensus on these two Marc Webb-directed movies is that they represent the worst of the Spider-Man films — 2007's "Spider-Man 3" notwithstanding. But we were all in the theaters when Garfield's Peter Parker stepped through the portal in "No Way Home." We all heard the exalted cheers as fans celebrated his return. And in the time since, despite a tragic history, the "Amazing Spider-Man" movies have enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance, with fans clamoring for the official return of Garfield's Spidey in the still unconfirmed "The Amazing Spider-Man 3."
Now, just as the hype was beginning to die down, "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its sequel have hit Netflix, landing on the streamer on October 1, 2023. And wouldn't you know, the most hated of the two is actually climbing the viewing charts. Yes, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" — the movie that was derided for its sub-par villain and preoccupation with setting up the Sinister Six — is now a hit with the streaming crowd.
A brief resurgence?
Despite a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the only "Rotten" movie in the Spidey movie canon, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" has managed to climb the Netflix charts. In a week that saw Benicio del Toro claim the top spot with his lackluster crime thriller "Reptile," and Spanish survival drama "Nowhere" hit number one on the Netflix charts in more than 60 countries around the world, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man slowly wall-crawled his way to the number eight spot.
Streaming data aggregator FlixPatrol reveals that "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" debuted in the number 10 spot in the U.S. on October 2, 2023, after hitting Netflix the day prior. As of October 3, the film was sitting at number eight — though as of October 4, it's nowhere to be seen on the Netflix homepage top 10. Is this the triumphant resurgence Andrew Garfield and Mark Webb deserve? Not really. But it is nice to see the unfairly dismissed "Amazing Spider-Man 2" getting some shine.
It's also worth bearing in mind that Netflix viewing metrics have always been dodgy, so it's not entirely clear what any of this means in terms of who's watching "Amazing Spider-Man 2" and for how long. What's more, whether the film can re-enter the charts as the week goes on remains to be seen. Perhaps this was just a quick reminder of Garfield's solid tenure in the suit. Either way, surely the "Amazing Spider-Man 3" hype isn't totally dead just yet?