Tom Holland is Spider-Man, and he truly can do whatever a spider can, including break box office records with Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The fourth film to feature Holland as Peter Parker, Zendaya as MJ, and Jacob Batalon as Ned made an astronomical $355 million for its opening weekend, the second biggest of all time, just behind Avengers: Endgame‘s $357 million. It also achieved the biggest opening day haul ever, with Friday’s $167 million. These sorts of numbers certainly cement Spider-Man’s status as the most popular superhero in North America, and the film’s nearly $1 billion worldwide opening makes a case for Spidey being the world’s most popular hero.
UPDATE: This morning came the news that Spider-Man: Brand New Day made $360 million in North America, scoring the biggest opening weekend in North American box office history.
Superhero fatigue may be a real thing in that not every Marvel or DC movie is going to land (hello, Supergirl), but clearly the audience’s desire for Spider-Man, especially with Tom Holland climbing the walls, hasn’t wavered. If anything, it’s significantly increased, given that the previous film, 2022’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, made $260 million.
Luckily, it’s not just the money that matters with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Director Destin Daniel Cretton takes over the franchise from Jon Watts, and gives the series a fresh coat of paint visually while also delivering perhaps the most emotional Spidey film ever. Holland’s Peter Parker is a man without a country, all on his own after Doctor Strange’s spell erased the world’s memory of Peter. He’s working hard to be a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, but as his body begins to change in significant ways, Peter is forced to come out of his shell and reach out to old friends. He’s also dealing with watching his former girlfriend and best friend succeed in life from afar. It’s a lot to take for Peter.
Unsurprisingly, Spider-Man is my favourite comic book character, and I’ve enjoyed nearly all the live-action films he’s appeared in (the less said about The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the better, though), but Spider-Man: Brand New Day just might be my favourite out of all of them. It manages to be emotional and full of gravitas while also thrilling. And in true Marvel Cinematic Universe fashion, it also introduces storytelling aspects that will be built on in other films.
SPOILER: Yes, I’m talking about Sadie Sink and the X-Men.
One could argue the film is a little long, and that would be fair, but overall Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a clear home run and an exciting way forward for the franchise. I’d say go check it out, but judging from these weekend numbers, you probably already have. So, go see it again, like me and the kid are doing later today.
