New York [US], August 5: Tom Holland and Zendaya , the young couple, are currently considered the "most powerful couple" in the film industry thanks to their simultaneous roles in two blockbusters that are taking the world by storm: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) sequel, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
In Nolan's epic adaptation, Tom Holland plays Telemachus, while Zendaya portrays Athena, the goddess who guides Odysseus. Conversely, Spider-Man: Brand New Day marks Holland's 10th anniversary as Peter Parker, alongside Zendaya as MJ.
The appeal of these two films turned movie theaters into a gold mine. According to The Independent , The Odyssey far exceeded expectations, raking in $911.4 million in just over two weeks after its release. Meanwhile, Spider-Man: Brand New Day created a huge shock by earning $927 million in its opening week. Combined, the US domestic box office just experienced its most successful three-day weekend in history, with total revenue reaching $434 million.
This success stems from both the scale of its production and its timing. The Odyssey became a cultural phenomenon as the first film shot entirely in IMAX format. Meanwhile, the new Spider-Man film is Marvel's strategic trump card ahead of the Avengers: Doomsday mega-show , which marks the return of Robert Downey Jr. as the villain Doctor Doom and the appearance of the X-Men characters.
However, The Independent believes that the personal charm of Zendaya (29 years old) and Tom Holland (30 years old) is the key factor. Zendaya's ever-changing fashion sense and Holland's sweet gestures towards his wife on the red carpet have consistently created media storms.
Currently, the combined revenue from the two films starring the pair has reached $1.838 billion (nearly 46.6 trillion VND) and shows no signs of slowing down. Zendaya also has the added advantage of The Drama , the most successful film in A24 history with a revenue of $132.5 million (over 3.3 trillion VND). Later this year, she will continue to appear in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three , with an expected revenue of around $700-800 million.
If Tom Holland or Zendaya continue to appear in Avengers: Doomsday (a project predicted to easily surpass the $1 billion mark), the record-breaking balance will completely tip in their favor.
According to The Independent , the current record holder for the highest-grossing film of the year is Samuel L. Jackson with $6.4 billion in 2019. However, if you subtract his cameo appearances that only lasted a few seconds, the actual figure is $2.5 billion.
With her current impressive run from The Odyssey , Spider-Man: Brand New Day to Dune: Part Three , Zendaya is fully capable of competing head-to-head with Samuel L. Jackson's record, writing a new chapter in Hollywood box office history.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
