Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. ultimately
    • ex. She tried many jobs, but ultimately, she found one she really liked.
  2. net
    • ex. The company made $1 million in net profit after paying all its costs.
  3. better-than-expected
    • ex. Our team had a better-than-expected result and won more games than people thought.
  4. feature
    • ex. The new movie features a famous actor in the main role.
  5. propel
    • ex. Bob’s hard work propelled him to the top of the team.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” ultimately earned a net total of about $360 million (about ¥57.4 billion) in its first weekend in theaters in the United States and Canada. Sony Pictures said this was a new record. After better-than-expected ticket sales in August, the movie passed the previous record of $357 million (about ¥56.9 billion) set by “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019.

The film is the fourth Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland. Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman said the company is proud to hold the new record. Before “Avengers: Endgame,” no movie had earned more than $300 million (about ¥47.5 billion) in its first weekend. Other movies with top opening weekends include “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

The strong performance of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey,” which both feature Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal, propelled movie theaters to a record weekend in the United States and Canada. According to global media and research company Rentrak, total ticket sales this year have reached more than $6.2 billion (about ¥981.9 billion), an increase of over 15% compared with the same time last year.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Cinemas and Movies

  • Do you prefer watching movies at the cinema or at home? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think cinemas and movie theaters will become more or less popular in the future? Why? Discuss.
  • What do you think makes a movie popular with many people (ex. good story, special effects)? Discuss.

Spider-Man and Other Superhero Movies

  • Have you seen any of the Spider-Man movies? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What superhero movie did you like the most (ex. Avengers movies, “Shin Ultraman”)? Discuss.
  • Who is your favorite hero from Japanese anime or manga? Discuss.