Hanoi’s Marvel fans go to other provinces to see Spider-Man: No Way Home
In April 2019, Avengers: Endgame delivered a grand finale that was everything Marvel fans asked for and more. Alas, since then, Marvel movies have been considered lackluster to many, partly due to the impact of Covid-19.
It’s not surprising, then, that viewers were looking forward to Spider-Man: No Way Home. Hitting theaters just last weekend, it promises a major crossover with previous Spider-Man movies, featuring the return of classic villains.
Some hardcore fans have even gone out of their way, in quite a literal manner, to see the movie as soon as possible. With Hanoi’s cinemas still closed under the current Covid-19 regulations, many of its residents are traveling to other provinces for their dates with the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Some travel as far as 180km for the movie
We won’t spoil anything in the new movie, but let’s recap what happened in Far From Home: the villain Mysterio, whom everyone believed was a hero, revealed his true evil identity at the last moment and engaged Spider-Man in a battle to the death. And just before he was defeated, Mysterio revealed to the whole world that Spider-Man was a high school boy named Peter Parker.
Spider-Man: No Way Home features the return of classic villains
Image credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment
And from No Way Home’s trailer, we already knew that the movie picked up right where its predecessor left off, with Peter struggling to deal with the revelation’s aftermath. He sought the help of Dr. Strange, hoping that the latter’s arcane mastery could make the world forget his true identity.
But the spell went wrong, paving the way for villains from other universes – all of whom were familiar faces from previous Spider-Man movies, such as Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, and Electro – to arrive.
Fans are traveling long distances just to see the movie
Image credit: VNExpress
The premise has got fans excited to see how Tom Holland’s Spider-Man would deal with these new old threats, and whether he’d get help from other renditions of Spider-Man, portrayed by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
But while those living in Saigon or Da Nang are flocking to cinemas to find out, Hanoi residents could only look on in envy as the city’s cinemas are still under Covid-19 restrictions.
Not willing to contend with their fates, many hardcore fans took drastic measures. Over the weekend, they rode motorbikes or took buses to other provinces to catch the movie before they got spoilers from social media. One might say that they were quite . . . far from home.
Image credit: Zing News
Most chose Bac Ninh as their destination, as the province is only 40km from Hanoi. However, due to the massive influx of viewers, most cinemas there also found all their tickets sold out.
As such, some, such as 19-year-old Tuan Kiet, took a bus all the way to his hometown of Ha Long City, 180km away, to avoid the crowd. And from what Kiet told VNExpress, he found the movie to be totally worth the trip.
The phenomenon sparks online discussions
But as many moviegoers excitedly post check-in shots to post online to show off their dedication, they have been met with critical responses. Some netizens are concerned about public safety, criticizing the moviegoers for not staying put when Hanoi is still recording high daily Covid-19 case jumps.
“They should just stay put, movies can wait,” a reader commented under VNExpress’ report. “What’s the point of having zones with different threat levels, then?”, another said.
Image credit: VNExpress
On the other hand, others feel that going to another province to watch the movie is well within their rights, as there are no travel restrictions between Hanoi to adjacent provinces at the moment.
“If they take measures to protect themselves, don’t affect others, and adhere to regulations, then there’s nothing to worry about,” was one of the counter-arguments.
Image credit: VNExpress
Adhere to regulations as you go to cinemas
It is understandable that some people would feel uneasy seeing others travel for reasons they deem non-essential while the Covid-19 situation in Hanoi is still seeing complicated developments. However, the moviegoers aren’t breaking any rules in their attempt to watch their long-awaited movie.
That said, we can’t dismiss the potential danger either. So if you do plan on following their footsteps, remember to adhere to disease prevention protocols.
For more stories, check out:
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- Artist makes Avengers: Endgame flipbook with 1,400 frames
- LEGO maker recreates Hanoi streets & buildings
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