In ‘Rivals’new film by Luca Guadagnino starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor It is Mike Faistrecently arrived in world cinemas – and brought a brief reference to the acclaimed animation ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’.
The reference in question is briefly mentioned by Zendaya’s character, Tashi Duncan, to her daughter, in a certain scene. It didn’t take long for fans to assume the dialogue was intentional, considering the Emmy-winning actress played MJ in the live-action franchise. ‘Spider man’of Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, in an interview with E.W.Guadagnino revealed that the sequence was created organically and that it was only possible to be mentioned due to the producer Amy Pascal.
“When you get the rights to something to be used in a film, it’s very complicated“, He explained. “Amy Pascal, our amazing producer, helped with this. I said, ‘Amy, can we use one of the titles from your catalog so it’s easier to clear them? [Lily] it’s a girl; she won’t choose to watch ‘The social network’ or ‘The Post – The Secret War’, but maybe she’ll watch a Spider-Man cartoon. So I said, ‘Why not ‘Spider-Verse’?’”.
Guadagnino adds: “Now I realize that it seemed like an inside joke, that, you know, the unconscious guides us all the time.”
Success among critics – with 96% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes –, the production also pleased viewers, receiving a B+ grade from the public on CinemaScore.
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The film dominated the top of the US box office by grossing US$15 million on its first weekend.
The result represents the biggest debut of the director’s career Luca Guadagnino (‘Call Me By Your Name’) in the country.
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Additionally, the production also became the biggest debut for an original film starring Zendaya – surpassing ‘The Greatest Showman‘, which had collected US$8.8 million in its first weekend in North American territory.
Internationally, the film adds US$10 milliontotaling a global debut of US$25 million.
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The film also stars Josh O’Connor (‘The Crown’) and Mike Faist (‘Love sublime love’).
The plot follows a couple of tennis athletes who, after reuniting with an old friend, end up unearthing a relationship kept secret for many years.
Tennis prodigy turned coach Tashi Duncan is a force of nature who makes no apologies for her play on and off the court. Married to a champion who has only accumulated defeats in recent games, Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face the failed Patrick on the courts. Patrick was her husband’s best friend, and is Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. When past and present collide, and tensions rise, Tashi must wonder what the cost of this victory will be.
Luca Guadagnino shared details about the film in an interview with Variety. He revealed that Zendaya spent three months training with professional tennis coach and former player Brad Gilbert to prepare for the role.
