Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is arguably one of the most beloved film series in history, with each installment being major successes both at the box office and with critics, including the final installment, The Return of the King, earning 11 Oscars. In this regard, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chairman Tom Rothman think Spider-Man: No Way Home replicates the feeling of that final entry in Jackson’s series, as it not only delivers audiences a satisfying standalone story, but also serves as the culmination of the character’s entire big-screen history.
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“In the way The Return of the Kingย was sort of a celebration and culmination of all of that amazing work that had been done on that trilogy, this is a celebration both of our ‘Homecoming’ trilogy and of the five other incarnations of Spider-Man that had happened before,” Feige recently shared with The Hollywood Reporter.
Rothman added, “Like the third Lord of the Rings, this is the conclusion of an epic series, and is quality commercial cinema. Black Panther was quality commercial cinema. It is essential that the Academy does not lose its connection with quality commercial cinema.”
Jackson’s trilogy marked one of the biggest gambles in movie history, as all three films were shot concurrently, as opposed to studio New Line Cinema wanting to see how the first film performed before continuing the series. This ambitious approach ultimately paid off, allowing all three films to land in theaters on an annual basis.
The films landing on the big screen each year added to the excitement of the event, with Feige noting another similarity No Way Home has https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/marvel-kevin-feige-says-putting-superhero-in-movie-not-cheat-code-success/.
“Spider-Man wasn’t on streaming and available at home. People had to get in their car and drive to a movie theater and watch this thing with other people. That, to me, is the magic of the movies. So this has been very, very meaningful for our industry,” the producerย shared, while noting the film’s release was “a celebration of moviegoing in the theater.”
While genre and superhero stories have often been spotlighted by the Academy Awards for their technical achievements, they are often overlooked in the more “prestige” categories. With Return of the King tying the record for most Oscar wins (alongside Ben-Hur and Titanic), the producers are clearly hoping No Way Home can similarly be celebrated for all of its accomplishments.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now.
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