“Spider-Man: No Way Home” breaks the internet

Spider-Man: No Way Home is on pace to be the biggest movie to hit theaters in nearly two years. Its first trailer was viewed a record 355.5 million times in the first twenty-four hours after its release. When tickets went on sale earlier this week, it routinely crashed sites like AMC, Fandango, Cinemark, and others trying to sell them. 

Tickets for opening night are now being resold for several hundred dollars each on sites like eBay, with some bids even going into the thousands. 

Considering one could easily find a seat by just waiting a couple of days to see the film, why is this movie driving people into such a frenzy? 

Why is Spider-Man: No Way Home so popular?

The answer starts with the fact that Spider-Man remains one of the most popular superheroes in comics and films, especially for those who grew up with the character. 

When the first Spider-Man movie of the modern era was released in 2002, films based on comic books seldom did justice to the source material. Director Sam Raimi changed that, however, and over the course of three films brought beloved characters to life in a way that resonated with fans. The Amazing Spider-Man films that rebooted the franchise ten years later were less successful but still accomplished a similar feat. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to bring many of those characters, including the actors who originally portrayed them, back to the big screen. 

The thing is, though, no one is quite sure how it’s going to happen. As a result, the payoff of being there on opening night to find out from the film itself rather than on social media is much greater than with your average movie. For fans of the character—regardless of how far back that fandom goes—there is a very real fear of missing out and having your experience diminished if you have to wait. 

I’ll confess, I’m among those who share that fear. 

The fear of missing out

Typing those words, however, is a bit convicting. It makes me realize that I don’t have the same fear when it comes to missing out on other things in life that are of far greater importance. 

For example, I go through most days not nearly as concerned or attentive to any potentially missed opportunities to share the gospel or to pray for the people I encounter. Far too often, I live as though I’m fine with finding out about a person’s need or prayer requests well after the ideal time to help.

It makes me wonder what kind of impact Christians could make on our culture if we treated the opportunities for ministry that God brings our way every day with the same kind of urgency that led fans of Spider-Man to crash the internet and pay exorbitant amounts of money for a single ticket. 

Fortunately, we don’t have to wonder. Rather, today offers each of us the chance to actively try to live with that kind of mentality. And God stands ready to help us do just that. 

So take a few moments to pray and ask the Lord to help you be more aware of the opportunities he gives you to help people in his name as you go through the course of your daily life. Oftentimes, making a difference for the kingdom doesn’t require us to do much more than pay attention. 

Will you?