Sony Pictures has officially made history with the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer, achieving the biggest movie trailer launch of all time, and it’s thanks to the help of fans across the globe and maybe even South Africa’s own Ndlovu Youth Choir. In a new video posted to Instagram by @choirafrica, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland got a small taste of Limpopo. And he liked it.
Holland took a moment to shout out the choir group after their Spider-Man: Brand New Day tribute started trending online. “Hello to the Ndlovu Youth Choir. Thank you so much for your fantastic video. I think it’s the best one. But I really appreciate it. Thank you for supporting the launch of the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer. Fantastic. Thank you so much.”
The video then cuts to the Ndlovu Youth Choir, dressed in traditional outfits, in an open field in Limpopo. The lead singer is dressed as Miles Morales Spider-Man and addresses the audience. “Hello and good morning from Limpopo, South Africa. We are so excited to help launch the new Spider-Man trailer. South Africans are huge fans.”
The choir then began to sing a Spider-Man classic only South Africans would recognize. Straight from the archives, they sang “Rabobi.” And if you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, you know exactly what that is.
For many, the Xhosa-dubbed Spider-Man theme wasn’t optional (unless you were able to sync your TV with the radio, of course). “RAH-boo-BEE! RAH-boo-BEE!” It’s the perfect tribute, actually.
The Instagram caption says it all: “When Spider-Man is your friend, the Tsotsis better pasop!”
Somewhere between Limpopo and Hollywood, Spider-Man found a new kind of theme song.
But while Holland was busy hyping the video, the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer was actually quickly rewriting the record books. It pulled in 718.6 million views in just 24 hours. Those numbers are higher than Deadpool & Wolverine’s 365 million views in eight hours and even the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer.
Sony clearly knew what it was doing by teasing snippets before the full drop paid off. By the time the trailer landed on Wednesday morning, fans were already waiting.
And the Ndlovu Youth Choir certainly added to that hype!
