Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens to strong audience praise

moviesJul 30, 202640601

Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker in Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a Destin Daniel Cretton-directed film that opened to strong early audience praise while Sony positions it for a major 2026 launch. The film picks up after No Way Home’s memory-erasure plot: Parker is anonymous in New York, beloved as Spider-Man but cut off from Avengers-level resources, and he reconnects with MJ (Zendaya) while facing a telepathic villain whose power lets the movie briefly put Spider-Man up against other super-powered bodies. Jon Bernthal reprises Frank Castle/The Punisher in a hard-edged supporting role, and the cast includes Sadie Sink, Tramell Tillman and Liza Colón-Zayas. Critics noted Holland’s likability and his chemistry with Zendaya, praised some dramatic beats including a scene where the villain controls MJ, and flagged the finale for passing the Bechdel test. Reviewers and early viewers also said the film’s many plot threads dilute focus, and several pieces criticized the visuals as overly green-screened and less vivid than Spider-Verse. Sony is marketing for a high opening weekend; the film’s box-office performance this summer will test whether audience enthusiasm translates into the big launch the studio expects.

DanSlott

@danslott.bsky.social

Just came back from the Marvel screener for #SpiderManBrandNewDay No spoilers. Loved it. Some people are calling it the "most grounded Spider-Man" movie of the current franchise. I can see that. To me, it was the Spider-Man movie that felt the most like a comic book brought to life.

1798h ago

Ben Bumhoffer1

I greatly appreciate your spoiler free review. I’m so excited to see it!

Sarah O’Connell1

I saw it today and loved it!

Quoting this

Andrés Trasado18

¡Qué sabrá él de Spiderman! Solo es un usuario de bluesky

Dr. Damien P. Williams has to go the way his blood beats

@wolven.blacksky.app

Rewatching Spider-Man No Way Home, and I'll say again that this movie does a truly fantastic job of showcasing why the Green Goblin/Norman Osborne is Spider-Man's greatest villain. The WHY of what he does, what he believes underneath everything he's doing. And Willem Dafoe! I mean just GODDAM, sir.

524h ago

Ash

@santanaelchan.bsky.social

Spider-Man 2 funny as fuck then hits you with one of the most harrowing scenes you've ever seen youtu.be/w7PqGUABOqk?...

344h ago

Ken Plume

@kenplume.bsky.social

I see lots of SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY praise for director Destin Daniel Cretton, the cast, Feige, & more - but no mention of writers Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, who are a consistent element of all 4 films & responsible for a great deal of why they work as well as they do. PROPS TO THE WRITERS.

Photo of Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna from the SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME premiere

274h ago

weinberg

@weinbergs.bsky.social

now I want to know what classics scholars think of Spider-Man 4.

264h ago

TheHey™5

“Steve Ditko would never have written dialogue like this!”

Xzyliac Delilah-Electroclash Ariel is a Punchy People’s Princess2

Oh wow. I didn’t realize this is the one to reach # 4. Good for them.

Schneebs1

Can’t believe Keith David was just Spider-Man’s best friend.

daryl "crap mode aesthetic" b 🏳️‍⚧️

@hypercubexl.bsky.social

was surprised to hear this replaced the "with great power" line in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY

274h ago

cetologist 🐋

@breezycarter.bsky.social

this is tom holland’s spider-man 2 (2004) my ★★★★★ NON-SPOILER review of #spidermanbrandnewday 📝 boxd.it/fw8ZPD

1710h ago

cetologist 🐋9

one post credit scene at the very end of the credits btw

Chibiplumbobs🌙💚1

I was already gonna see it, but i always wait for your reviews to understand how excited i need to be

Every Film Now

@everyfilmnow.bsky.social

Zendaya stuns on the carpet at the U.K. premiere of ‘SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’ in London. 📷 #SpiderManBrandNewDay #Zendaya

1112h ago

Kris Dobbins

@krisdobbinsart.bsky.social

Gosh. I love Spider-Man. Every time I revisit a Spider-Man thing I think he's the best fictional character ever created. What are some good Spidey comic runs I should read?

224h ago

Drunk Girl Summer2

Also Spider-man: Life Story is a great story with the premise that Peter ages in real time from the sixties and each issue is during a different decade.

Sean Aitchison2

Big agree I like that spidery fella New one that came out called Spider-Man Torn is good Classic Ultimate and the stuff leading up to Miles is great Brand new day is kinda up and down but it’s got a lot of good back to basics spidey Spectacular Spiderman cartoon is the best spidey imo

John-Charles Holmes1

Spider-Man and the X-Men is a really really fun run and yes, is the source of the "turn people into dinosaurs" storyline

Drunk Girl Summer1

I am assuming you have read the Lee run so definitely do the Roger Stern run. Dan Slott is a very controversial writer but I really liked his run. It has some ups and downs but considering it was like a decade long that's inevitable.

🎃 October Keegan 🎃1

Might not be what you’re looking for, since he’s like… barely in it, but I really love Kraven’s Last Hunt if you’ve never read it. I think it’s a fascinating examination of the relationship between heroes and their villains, and the art is GORGEOUS.

Cosmic Marvel

@dailycosmicmarvel.bsky.social

Sadie Sink when asked if she will appear in more #MCU projects after ‘SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’ “We’ll have to see.” (via The Associated Press)

174h ago

Just John 🤓

@dubs0203.bsky.social

Spider-man Brand New Day fucks hard. If you’re a Marvel nerd like me it’s a must watch. Anyways, G’nite sexy babies. Fun dreams 🖤

164h ago

Grace 🏳️‍⚧️

@gemofamara.com

yeah, brand new day is the best spider-man directed by anyone not named sam raimi. the first one since then to just straightforwardly make me think "yep, there he is, that's spider-man".

174h ago

Pete

@backthefudgeoff.bsky.social

It’s time! By world movie time See you tomorrow 👋 👋 or after eh film if it was good and I want to post about it, spoiler free obvs! #Spiderman #Spidermanbrandnewday #Everyman

1413h ago

John-Charles Holmes

@sonic9jct.jctholmes.com

Brand New Day? Not tonight, thanks, we've got Spider-Man at home