Heroes separated by about 27 centuries will vie for the attention of audiences this weekend as "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" arrives to lure viewers from "The Odyssey."
A must-see movie that has become a genuine cultural phenomenon, Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's epic poem — which casts Matt Damon as Odysseus, the legendary Greek adventurer — is expected to continue its blockbuster ways, adding to the $286 million it has collected the past 10 days at the North American box office.
But Odysseus will be challenged by the web-slinging Spider-Man, the Marvel superhero who debuted in 1962.
The collision is appropriate. In 1966, when Stan Lee, the Marvel writer/editor
who co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk and such mythology-inspired heroes as Thor, visited Princeton University on a speaking engagement, a student, in a much-reported encounter, told Lee: "We think of Marvel as the 20th Century mythology, and you Mr. Lee, as this generation’s Homer."
Whether Homer comes out on top, the real winner will be movie theater and cinema chain owners, who are anticipating large, eager crowds for both films. Also having a good weekend will be actor Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus's son, Telemachus, in "The Odyssey," and will be Peter Parker and his alter-ego Spider-Man in "Brand New Day," the fourth film with Holland in the title role since the series was rebooted with "Spider-Man: Homecoming" in 2017. (Holland also was Spider-Man in some "Avengers" films.)
With these massive movies dominating the multiplexes, even the usual art, "indie" and horror movies are lying low. The exception is "I Want Your Sex," the 12th feature film since 1987 from writer-director Gregg Araki, best known for his "New Queer Cinema" milestones, "The Living End" and "The Doom Generation." Described by Wikipedia as "a crime procedural" that parodies "both contemporary art and BDSM sexual practices," the movie stars Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman and Johnny Knoxville, but its provocative title probably explains why it is opening on six screens, including the Collierville, Cordova, Desoto, Ridgeway, Studio on the Square and Atoka 16 cinemas. In any event, it is the first Araki film to be booked into a Memphis theater since the NC-17-rated "Mysterious Skin" in 2005.
Also opening July 31, at the Wolfchase, is "Bhai Tera Star Hai," a Hindi-language youth comedy involving crime and cricket.
John Beifuss is an entertainment writer at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at john.beifuss@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What new movies are opening in Memphis on July 31?
