Tobey Maguire and fiancée Jen Meyer.Photo by Getty Images

'Tis the season for blowout blockbuster movie openings, and if one could classify publicity blitzes like weather patterns, yesterday's Spider-Man 3 premiere in Astoria might be considered a perfect storm. The UA Kaufman Astoria Stadium 14 — a giant cube of windowless concrete surrounded on all sides by auto-repair shops and other cubes of windowless concrete — usually has a discomforting postindustrial quiet, despite the few coffee shops that have popped up over the years. But yesterday, the combination of the Tribeca Film Festival, a movie that will likely break all-time box-office records, and a neglected borough that is not only the fictional home of Peter Parker but also an area starving for a taste of glitz created a tidal wave of people, limos, celebrities, and confetti that made 38th Street virtually unrecognizable.

The black carpet (Spidey's black-suited, get it?) was 200 feet long. Though we couldn't see the stars arrive, we needed only follow the deafening screams of teenage girls to know that they were there. Tobey Maguire's arrival was greeted with the heraldry of two marching bands playing the Spider-Man theme song, followed by a burst of black and red confetti. He then marched down the line of fans, shaking hands with both hands, as though he were running for office. This, apparently, was not enough face time for some. "Tobey, come closer!" screamed one girl. "I'll show you my underwear. I didn't wash them yet."