Chapter 51

"This isn't just a popcorn blockbuster—it's also a film worth exploring."

"The film enters from Peter Parker's perspective, using the Spider-Man story everyone knows to explore adolescent growth and the sociological value of superheroes."

"The director boldly employed advanced filming techniques and visual language, daringly using trendy elements to shape the story and characters; the avant-garde style produced a wonderful chemical reaction with the film's themes."

"... Here I have to praise the male lead, Xu Can, who plays Spider-Man! People used to say an Asian playing Spider-Man would feel off, but anyone who's seen the film won't have that thought."

"I've read Spider-Man comics too. I can only say that Xu Can, this brilliant new actor, brought Peter Parker to life with Oscar-caliber acting."

"No wonder Stan Lee himself said he is Spider-Man!"

"The female lead isn't just a pretty face—she has ample motivation and plays a key role in the plot. The romantic interaction between the male and female leads is also quite natural, better than many romance films."

"Marc Webb truly lives up to his reputation as a director who started out making romance films..."

"All in all, this is an excellent work that combines depth with entertainment. Are you waiting for me to criticize it? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed—my verdict is—two thumbs up!"

Luo Jie Ebert gave the film his highest rating, shocking more fans and peers.

He had always sneered at commercial films like this, at most giving them a thumbs up.

Usually it was a thumbs down, meaning a bad film.

Who would have thought that a pure commercial film like "Spider-Man" would earn his top rating!

Simply unprecedented!

"Ahhhh! Xu, I just facially met over a million fans!"

That day, Xu Can was still asleep when he suddenly received a call from Emma Stone.

She was so excited that she instinctively dialed Xu Can's number.

"It's just a million fans—yours will break ten million in the future."

Xu Can yawned, unconcerned.

Recently, Spider-Man's explosive performance had set the main cast on fire, their popularity skyrocketing!

Veteran actor Willem Dafoe and new-generation heartthrob James Franco saw a massive surge in their media exposure.

Of course, the biggest winners of this film were still Xu Can and Emma Stone.

Emma Stone not only gained a million followers on social media—her agent's phone was blown up within two days.

A flood of film offers came pouring in; her agent was nearly in tears!

Originally, in the two films Emma Stone had shot—"Superbad" and "The Rocker"—she wasn't the lead.

Stone Sister's role could only be counted as third or fourth billing.

After all, beyond that, she was just an ordinary small-time actress in Hollywood.

Overnight, Stone Sister powerfully rocketed to become one of Hollywood's top-tier actresses!

Thanks to her outstanding performance as Gwen, she couldn't even imagine how popular she was now!

So much so that "Superbad" and "The Rocker" nearly elevated Stone Sister to first-billing status, using her name to promote themselves!

The film critic Howard Nueber, who had bet with her, had no choice but to publicly state in an interview:

"Uh, 'Spider-Man' really is a landmark film. I underestimated them back then. This weekend I'm going skinny-dipping in the Hudson River—anyone interested can watch the livestream."

This previously nationally debated wager ended with Stone Sister's overwhelming victory.

Anyone with eyes could see that, given "Spider-Man"'s current momentum, $500 million absolutely couldn't hold it back.

"Are you still sleeping? Did I wake you up... did you stay up late last night?"

Stone Sister chatted excitedly for a while before noticing how tired Xu Can sounded.

She stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

"Mm, stayed up late writing the script last night—finally finished it."

"Is it Spider-Man 2? When the time comes, will we get to play opposite each other again?"

Emma Stone was already looking forward to working with Xu Can; the time spent filming together had been the most wonderful memory of her life.

Recently there were a lot of engagements, and Stone Sister often couldn't see Xu Can.

"Spider-Man 2 probably won't be until next year. The script I'm writing now is a story about a retired hitman avenging his dog."

That's right—before "Spider-Man" was even released, Xu Can had already been planning his next project!

This time, he had no intention of sitting around waiting for a talent scout to come knocking! No intention of watching other people's expressions!

Xu Can was going to invest in and shoot his own film!