Spider-Man’s Movie Problem as Explained Through Ja Rule’s Discography

After the speculation that surrounded a new Spider-Man film by Marvel Studios, the franchise seems to be facing an impending problem: with reboot after reboot, it might be running out of goodwill with its audience. Now I know what you’re thinking: Ja is trash and never sold numbers. And you might have a point – at least on the first part – because whether he was good or not doesn’t negate a simple, odd truth that Ja Rule’s albums flew off the shelves. We have the benefit of the big picture so it can be hard to remember the magnitude of short-lived successes (remember Anfernee Hardaway?), but there was once a time Ja Rule sold everything from albums to movies. Spider-Man and Ja Rule – an unlikely comparison, but the success of Ja’s early discography compared with their actual quality might make for a fairer likeness than you think. Maybe Murda Inc. can shed some light on the potential danger the Spider-Man franchise is facing. Venni Vetti Vicci

Spider-Man’s big-screen debut featured Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker and was a box office smash. That same year, Ja Rule’s debut release was double platinum, having sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Thing is, both were trash. Okay, let me rewind – both are trash, but only in hindsight. Blame it on effective marketing or youthful naiveté, but I shouted Murda I.N.C. in Cookie Monster’s voice and memorized all 19 tracks of classic garbage. There’s no reason the name Irv Gotti should mean anything to anyone, yet my mind grumbles with “…