….
As the show completed, the trio friends were on their way back to home - however, they weren't only ones this time -
They are taking something back home.
Martin kept one hand steady on the wheel, the other hovering near the horn out of habit, while the car hummed down the near-empty road.
In the passenger seat, Dev's body was technically forward, but his entire soul was turned backwards.
He was half-kneeling, shoes planted on the seat Martin had just vacuumed that morning, animatedly talking to the two boys in the back.
"Man, I actually felt like crying when all those cranes lined up to help Peter." Rayan said, shaking his head with an exaggerated sigh. "It was so… I dunno… heartwarming."
"Wait?! What do you mean 'felt like crying'? You were crying, idiot." Dev shot back, grinning.
"I wasn't crying, my eyes just… had dust… Yeah now I get it, someone was cutting onions in the theater!!"
"Yeah, yeah." Dev snorted. "And my best scene was when Spidey was stopping the train, it was freaking intense. I was sitting on the edge, thinking, 'Is he even gonna make it?' And my heart almost stopped when his mask came off. Like… everyone saw him."
"Yeah." Rayan said, suddenly quieter. "It was nice. Actually… After a long time, I actually saw a superhero just… saving people, desperately." He let that word hang, before he grinned. "Like when did superhero movies become only about fighting big bad guys? This felt… different, and people helped back, y'know? They weren't just… baggage."
Dev nodded eagerly. "True, it felt refreshing."
Then Dev spoke again. "Hey… who was that guy in the end? The… Tony Stark guy?"
That got the other two to pause.
"Right." Rayan said. "Was he… like… a robot or something?"
"I thought he was some government guy." Dev said.
They all went quiet for a beat, the mystery hanging there between them.
"Maybe he is like… the big villain." Rayan said finally.
"Nah." Dev replied. "He didn't sound evil."
"Evil people never sound evil." Rayan countered.
Arav still hadn't said much, he sat slouched against the door, chin propped on his fist, watching the streetlights smear by.
"I think I might know him…" He said at last.
That made Dev and Rayan snap their attention toward him.
Arav leaned forward a little. "You guys remember when I bought a comic, like… six months ago, maybe? Around when Solo Leveling was trending?"
Dev started nodding. "Hmm… you said it was remin-" He stopped abruptly, realizing what he was about to say.
Rayan jumped in fast, as if to cover it. "Yeah, yeah, we remember. What about it?"
Arav smiled faintly, seeing right through them. "It was a comic about Tony Stark. He is actually a superhero… not a villain."
"That doesn't make sense." Dev frowned. "Why would a superhero just… announce himself to the world? Aren't they supposed to be, like, secret?"
"I agree." Rayan added. "That is one hell of a stupid move. Unless he is an idiot."
Arav shrugged. "Well… he is just a bit unique. He only said it because a reporter pissed him off in the wrong spot. He got annoyed."
"That's even worse." Dev muttered. "How can an arrogant man like that become a hero?"
All three of them slowly nodded, strangely united in skepticism.
And then, for the first time the whole drive, Martin spoke. His voice was calm, almost thoughtful. "People change, kids."
There was a short silence.
Dev glanced at him, a grin creeping across his face. "Dad… for the first time, you actually sounded like a reasonable man."
Rayan burst out laughing at that, the loudest laugh yet, while Arav cracked a smile.
Martin's eyes stayed on the road, but he snapped, not out of real anger, just to stop them from getting cocky. "Whatever, but if you don't get your dirty legs off my car seat right now… I will wipe that smug off your face and into the ground."
Dev blinked. "Oh. Right." He twisted back around reluctantly, plopping into his seat.
That only made them laugh harder…
As the car rolled on through sleeping streets, their voices softened but didn't stop - three young minds caught on the hook of a story they didn't even realize was just beginning
….
Friday: The Surge
By Friday afternoon, the studio already knew they had something big on their hands.
Pre-sales had been strong, but the walk-up crowd was even better.
Multiplex managers were calling in extra staff.
Popcorn machines couldn't keep up, and by the 7 p.m. shows, most major cities had sold-out auditoriums.
Trade reporters leaked early estimates: "Spider-Man tracking toward $40 million Friday." On Twitter, '#WithGreatPowerComesWithGreatResponsibility' trended globally, with fans posting screenshots of ticket stubs like trophies.
In Hollywood, studio rivals peeked over their shoulders.
Executives with other summer blockbusters texted each other nervously: "We might have to push our release back a month."
Saturday was the real test.
Friday is front-loaded with fans, but Saturday reveals whether the general audience is hooked.
The answer came in lines outside theatres that morning.
Parents with kids, college students in groups.
Even couples on dates, the movie had crossed over from fandom to mainstream chatter - the golden sign.
Entertainment blogs pumped out listicles: "5 Reasons This Spider-Man Works" and "The Hidden Meaning of the Post-Credit Scene." YouTube breakdowns of "Who is Tony Stark?" hit a million views in twelve hours.
By late Saturday night, the revised estimates put the film at $115M for the weekend.
Analysts called it "a monster hit in the making."
Sunday brought the whisper: "Could this break the record?"
Theaters still filled, but families came in heavier during matinees.
Regal's mix of heart and spectacle was playing across demographics, kids laughed at Garfield's awkwardness, adults leaned in for the drama, and old comic readers lost their minds at Doc Ock's complexity.
Some critics who had held back softened their tone.
A New York Times writer published a second column: "The Audience Has Spoken, and Spider-Man Connects."
By late Sunday, internal studio memos reported a projected $127M domestic opening weekend.
That number, if confirmed, would put it near the very top for superhero debuts.
The numbers locked in overnight, Monday morning, the industry woke to headlines:
"Spider-Man Nets $127 Million: Regal Swings Hollywood's Biggest Opening Since Harry Potter" - Variety
"Audiences Crown a New Spider-Man King" - The Hollywood Reporter
"Andrew Garfield Soars, Doc Ock Terrifies, Iron Man Teases" - Deadline
Morning talk shows booked comic creators and professors to explain the cultural importance of Spider-Man.
Financial channels discussed Regal's box office dominance as if he were a stock to invest in.
Even the skeptics - those who doubted casting Garfield, or Regal's obsessive 3D push, or his gamble on RDJ's cameo, had to admit it: Spider-Man wasn't just a hit, it was the beginning of something larger.
In Hollywood, numbers talk, and $127 million said one thing loud and clear: Regal hadn't just made another superhero movie.
Numbers looked stronger than predicted, this wasn't just about action fans; it was pulling in teens, families, even date crowds.
The phrase "four-quadrant hit" started being whispered.
Film blogs, still young at the time, were already speculating: "Is Regal building a universe?" Most thought it was unlikely, Hollywood wasn't structured for that yet. But the seed had been planted.
On early Twitter, movie forums, and even personal blogs, the chatter was undeniable.
Most people didn't know what to call the final scene, some wrote "robot reveal." Others called it "post-credit surprise."
The word post-credit scene wasn't really a cultural staple yet.
Fans were sharing shaky memory descriptions:
"Some guy named Tony Stark? I think?"
"It looked like a comic book thing… is this connected to something?"
"Whoever thought of putting that scene after the credits is a genius, half the audience left though, lol."
By the afternoon, the phrase "I Am Iron Man" was trending on message boards.
Not globally viral in the modern sense, but definitely spreading among early online communities.
Regardless of the place and time the most common thing is - whoever had wasted the film - they took the film with them back home.
And for a director there couldn't be a bigger achievement than this.
Not awards, nor records.
….
The New York Times ran a review titled:
"A Comic Book Hero Takes Flight: Slick, Loud, and Surprisingly Human."
They praised the film's energy and pacing but noted:
"For a movie built on spectacle, its strongest weapon is personality, the lead actor's awkward charm makes what could have been a hollow spectacle into something oddly magnetic."
Roger Ebert, always a voice people listened to, didn't give it a perfect rating, but his review highlighted something key:
"Comic book movies usually live or die on how much they take themselves seriously - or not enough. This one has found a dangerous middle ground, it believes in its toys, but also in its swagger."
He mentioned the ending briefly, hinting that there was "a suggestion of more," but without spoiling.
"If early numbers hold, Regal has delivered a film that could redefine the appetite for superhero stories on the big screen."
Los Angeles Times noted. "Superhero Fever? One Film May Have Just Changed the Equation"
Rotten Tomatoes-style aggregators were still in their infancy, but blogs began compiling reviews under "positive" and "negative" tags. The score leaned heavily positive.
….
Crowds on Sunday were louder than the premiere.
In some theatres, word had already spread not to leave until the very end.
In others, you could hear gasps ripple through as half the room walked out, and the other half stayed behind knowingly.
When the post-credit scene hit again, Tony Stark's name, the arrogance, the bold "I am Iron Man" - it hit harder.
….
By Tuesday and Wednesday, something unusual was happening: weekday evening shows were still packed. Normally, big films dip sharply after opening weekend.
That mysterious post-credit moment became a playground talking point.
Kids who left early were teased: "You didn't see it? Then you didn't really see the movie."
Regal's film was already being positioned as the "must-see of the month." Billboards that had gone up in LA and New York were now booked for extended runs.
Television spots shifted their wording from "Now in Theatres" to "The #1 Movie in America."
….
By Thursday, late-night hosts started working the movie into their monologues.
Jay Leno: "So there is this new superhero movie out. I went to see it. At the end, the guy says, 'I am Iron Man.' I was like, buddy, tell that to airport security and see how that goes."
Conan O'Brien leaned into the nerdy angle: "Apparently if you stay until after the credits, there is a bonus scene. So now Hollywood is basically holding moviegoers hostage."
On MTV, snippets of the film began running in rotation, interviews with the cast were suddenly being replayed more often, and "Tony Stark" name flashed every now and then…
.
….
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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