In Case You Haven’t Heard: ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Dawson’s Creek’

Spider-Man’s amazing spider-sense couldn’t save Tom Holland from suffering a concussion while shooting his new film, the animated spectacle “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” dominates the box office, and “Dancing with the Stars” star-studded cast helps the long-running show have a return to form in this edition of “In Case You Haven’t Heard.”

The “Dawson’s Creek” reunion was missing one of its biggest stars Monday night at a planned event to raise money for cancer. James Van Der Beek was supposed to be part of the read as the man of honor. The “Varsity Blues” star was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer last November, so “Dawson’s Creek” castmate and friend Michelle Williams put together a table read of the pilot script that included original cast Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson.

Van Der Beek ended up having to bow out due to stomach pains but had a pretty heavy hitter as an understudy in Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton” fame. 

If you’re a Tom Holland fan, your spidey senses were probably tingling over the weekend. The actor suffered a concussion on the set of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” Variety reports that Holland was injured while filming in Glasgow, Scotland for the film that is set to be released next summer. This is the first time Holland has put on the Spidey suit since 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Joining Holland in the cast is Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/the Hulk, and John Bernthal as the Punisher. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” will be released July 31, 2026. I said the word Spidey way too many times.

“Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” has repeated as champ at the box office. The film held off newcomer “Him,” the Jordan Peele-produced thriller that stars Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers. The film tanked with reviewers, and only about half of those who saw it in the theaters approved, according to the Rotten Tomatoes Audience Approval Meter. 

“Him” opened with just over $13 million, about $4 million behind repeat champ “Demon Slayer,” which pulled in $17.5 million in its second weekend of release. “The Conjuring: Last Rites” opened at number three with just under $13 million in its third week of release, bringing its box office total to $151 million. Rounding out the top five were “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” and “The Long Walk,” which both pulled in $6.3 million.

Two newcomers failed to crack the top 10 and one of them had major star power in Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” couldn’t overcome bad reviews and was a box office bomb with $3.5 million at the gate. “The Senior,” starring Michael Chiklis, had great reviews, but only managed about $2.5 million at the box office. 

With all the negativity and polarization in the news lately, it appears that TV viewers just want to watch people dance. “Dancing with the Stars” premiered last Tuesday night and pulled big numbers with almost 6,000,000 viewers – a big improvement over last season. There was also a big uptick in the votes cast by viewers, with 21 million for an increase of 163 percent. The real reason for the rise in viewership, according to critics, is star power. 

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join host Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.