Tom Holland as Spider Man could be a thing of the past, and it's safe to say that fans are freaking out on Twitter. Photo: Supplied
Tom Holland as Spider Man could be a thing of the past, and it's safe to say that fans are freaking out on Twitter. Photo: Supplied
Tom Holland as Spider Man could be a thing of the past, and it's safe to say that fans are freaking out on Twitter. Photo: Supplied
Tom Holland as Spider Man could be a thing of the past, and it's safe to say that fans are freaking out on Twitter. Photo: Supplied

Why are people asking for Spider-Man to be saved? It's all about Marvel versus Sony


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The latest Spider-Man film (Far From Home) scored an impressive 90 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and drew in $1.1 billion (Dh4 billion) at the global box office.

It's safe to say Peter Parker is a hot ticket that is under no commercial threat of being cancelled, so why is the hashtag #SaveSpiderMan trending on Twitter globally? Because news has broken that Marvel Studios won't be involved in future Spider-Man films.

Why? Because of a dispute over profit sharing with Sony, who still hold the rights to the character (remember, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is owned by Disney). This is a common conundrum for such franchises, Star Trek has had the same problem.

Deadline has reported that Marvel wanted essentially 50 per cent of the cut from box office profits from solo Spider-Man films in exchange for their super-producer Kevin Feige to continue to work on the films.

Sony said no. For now, at least. They think they can do Spider-Man films without Marvel's help. But fans are freaking out.

Until now, the agreement has essentially been that Marvel has not received any money from the solo films, and Sony hasn't received any money from Spidey appearing in Marvel films. A real tit for tat; but Marvel wanted more.

What does this actually mean for the films?

Most importantly for many fans, it means we won't see other Marvel characters pop into Spider-Man films. So, no Nick Fury for words of wisdom or Ant-Man to help save the day, etc.

Also, it means Spider-Man's Tony Stark protege storyline is likely dead in the water. Tom Holland's Spider-Man appeared in 2016's Captain America, as well as in two Avengers films, and became one of the emotional centres of the cinematic universe. But, if this bust up stays as is, we won't see him in any future Avengers-style band of superheroes films.

It doesn't, however, mean that Holland won't continue to be Spider-Man. It's expected that there will be at least two more Spider-Man films starring Holland, and he can be employed by Sony, as can director Jon Watts, who has helmed the last two films.

In fact, he's very likely contractually obliged to appear in those films.

What it does definitely mean is that Marvel's Kevin Feige will no longer produce, which Sony confirmed on Twitter:

Kevin Feige has run Marvel Studios since 2007, and many fans of Spider-Man are also mega fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the characters, the spin-offs, the Easter eggs, etc.

They're delighted by the fact their favourite character remains interact, and Spider Man's comic timing and relatable naivety meant his relationship with the other Marvel characters was one of the things that made his character so interesting:

But perhaps Sony has its own universe cooking, remember, the Spider-Man comics have hundreds of characters.

Most of the anger on Twitter is being directed towards Sony, but many seem to be missing that it was Marvel that wanted Sony to give them a 50 per cent cut of all Spider-Man films, Sony wasn't asking for 50 per cent of all the Avengers-style film profits.

While we will still see more Tom Holland Spider-Man films this is such a huge deal because Spider-Man is a big slice of the Marvel Cinematic Universe pie: the first 20 seconds of this trailer sums up just how entangled in the MCU Peter Parker is...

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
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How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

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Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

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Results

5pm: Al Falah – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bshara, Richard Mullen (jockey), Salem Al Ketbi (trainer)

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Al Dhafra – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Mualami, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

6.30pm: Al Khaleej Al Arabi – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Hawafez, Adrie de Vries, Abubakar Daud

7pm: Al Mafraq – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi

7.30pm: Al Samha – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Patrick Cosgrave, Ismail Mohammed

Poacher
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

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WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

South Africa v India schedule

Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg

ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion

T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town

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Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

If you go

The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.


The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.


The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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