Anyone who spent the past week counting down the minutes before they could see “Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse” should know that they’re not alone. The sequel to the Oscar-winning “Into the Spider-Verse” has all the makings of a runaway box office hit, and many believe it could end up being a cultural phenomenon on the level of 2021’s “Spider-Man No Way Home.” One of the live-action Spider-Men certainly has faith in it. Speaking to the Associated Press while promoting his new Apple TV+ series “The Crowded Room,” Tom Holland expressed his excitement about the animated sequel. He even revealed that the original “Into the Spider-Verse” is his favorite film about the web-slinging hero that made him a superstar. “I think the first Spider-Verse’ movie is the best Spider-Man movie that’s ever been made,” Holland said. “I’m so proud of everyone involved. [Producer] Amy Pascal is like my mom. I was supposed to go with her [to the premiere] as her date, I couldn’t go because I’m here working. But I’m incredibly proud of them, I’m excited for the second one. I’m sure it will live up to every expectation, and I can’t wait to see it.” Whenever Holland gets around to seeing “Across the Spider-Verse,” it appears that he’s in for a good time. Critics have overwhelmingly praised the sequel for expanding the creative sandbox that the first film established while setting up plenty of excitement for the second half of the story which will be told in next year’s “Beyond the Spider-Verse”. “’Into the Spider-Verse’ was astute and funny, complicated and emotional, unique and daring, and its sequel only grows and expands on those aims. If the first film showed what superhero movies could be, Across the Spider-Verse’ goes even further It shows what they should be,” IndieWire’s Kate Erbland wrote in her review of the film. “In a genre built on the literally super and special, these films are unafraid to stand out and do something truly different, something that pushes the limits, to show the genuine range available to this subset of stories and feel damn good in the process and look, dare we say, even better.” “Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse” is now playing in theaters.