The MCU franchise is entering the end of an era, as Marvel Studios is focusing on concluding its major multiverse storyline. However, while the world is less than half a year away from the Avengers’ return, a different superhero has made his comeback to the big screen.
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been in theaters for less than a month, and as it has broken numerous box office records, the Tom Holland-starring feature has now hit another milestone. The Phase 6 installment has officially grossed $2.02 billion dollars at the worldwide box office, becoming the most profitable film for the web-slinger in film history.
Not only has the 2026 release surpassed Spider-Man: No Way Home’s commercial success from 2021, but it is now the highest-grossing film in The Multiverse Saga. Holland is also the only actor who has played the web-crawler and had Spidey films that have crossed more than a billion dollars.
Spider-Man Movies
Box Office Results
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
$2.02 Billion
Spider-Man: No Way Home
$1.92 Billion
Spider-Man: Far From Home
$1.13 Billion
Spider-Man 3
$887.4 Million
Spider-Man: Homecoming
$880.9 Million
Spider-Man
$810.9 Million
Spider-Man 2
$788.2 Million
The Amazing Spider-Man
$758.7 Million
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
$716.9 Million
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
$690.8 Million
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
$394.8 Million
Outside of the last two projects to center on the Marvel icon, 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine is the only other film in The Multiverse Saga that made $1 billion or higher, as it earned $1.33 billion in Phase 5. Following the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending, the Phase 6 film is also the highest-grossing movie of 2026.
While not fully confirmed yet by Sony and Marvel, Deadline reported that the summer blockbuster was produced on a $225 million budget. If those numbers are accurate, it makes Brand New Day’s $2 billion milestone an even bigger win for the studios.
The historical box office win also comes at a time when Hollywood is still debating if superhero fatigue is affecting the genre, given the various results of recent Marvel and DC theatrical releases. However, many disagree with that notion, including former Sony CEO Amy Pascal, who has remained a producer in the Spider-Man franchise, as she shared the following with Deadline in July:
Amy Pascal: “No, I don’t think any of that is ever a real thing. If you make a good movie that people can relate to, I think they relate to it and they want to see it. People go to movies emotionally. They go to movies about characters that they care about and Spider-Man is at the top of the heap. And to be honest with you, I don’t really think of these movies as superhero movies. Tom gave a beautiful performance in this movie. I think we had so many fantastic actors.
The beautiful thing that Destin did in the movie is all the different stories, whether it was the story of Sadie Sink’s character or Punisher story or Bruce Banner. All of them have the same problem: They are all living this kind of life of isolation where there’s something inside them that they can’t control. I think that the best movies are when the whole thing is a cohesive unit and every character is telling the story that you want to be telling about Peter.”
Outside its profitable success, the film, which was helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is currently sitting with 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 415 submitted reviews. The audience score, which is at 98%, is also the highest-rated Spider-Man project in the MCU timeline.
For Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal, the Spider-Man: Brand New Day reviews and massive profit aren’t their only summer victory, as the three MCU alums also starred in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. As of writing, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have not announced or greenlit a sequel yet, as the partnership is picture-by-picture.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
Assessment Complete Your Spider-Sense Rating
/ 8
Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?
It remains unclear when Holland will be back as Spider-Man after this summer, as it is unknown if he is part of Avengers: Doomsday or 2027’s Secret Wars. However, Brand New Day played an instrumental part in setting up another iconic property for Marvel Studios.
After introducing Sadie Sink in the MCU as Jean Grey, the Stranger Things star will reprise the popular mutant in the upcoming X-Men reboot, with director Jake Schreier at the helm. It will be the first release for Phase 7, bringing the famous group of characters into the franchise on a full-time basis.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is playing in theaters.
Release Date
July 29, 2026
Runtime
145 minutes
Writers
Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Producers
Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Amy Pascal, David Cain
