Edited by Lydia Gallagher

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest and one of the most successful instalments in the MCU, has swung into cinemas on the 29th of July 2026. The movie continues from No Way Home, with the now-forgotten Peter Parker living alone and dedicating himself full-time to protecting New York City. However, his superpowers suddenly spiral as he grapples with ongoing personal struggles, at an unfortunate time when a powerful new enemy emerges.

Mild Spoilers for the MCU Spider-Man movies 

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Opening Day & Box Office Impact 

As one of the latest and most successful instalments in the MCU, Spider-Man: Brand New Day made an immediate mark at the box office. This massive success was felt domestically and globally. With an impressive $168M on day one in North America, it became the biggest opening day in Box Office history. Not only that, but its worldwide opening figures also reached $932,091,572 USD, securing the 2nd-biggest global opening on record and surpassing Avengers: Infinity War by $29,570,281 USD. 

The movie also earned an ‘A’ rating on CinemaScore from opening-night crowds, reaffirming its massive success following No Way Home, which makes sense, since audiences were anxiously waiting for the next instalment in the series after Peter Parker’s ultimate decision. 

Social Media Reception 

Looking at the movie’s review thread on Reddit, along with Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that people enjoyed the movie. Many expressed that it was a superhero movie that listened to ‘modernised demands’, bringing back more ‘grounded’ and ‘emotional’ stories. Although, as a casual watcher of the MCU (having not watched many movies beyond the Spider-Man films), I can clearly see that the writers captured what was going through Peter’s head during his 4 years of personal isolation. 

Other positive highlights centred on the film’s tone, pacing, crime-fighting, practical stunts, and clean visuals. I loved seeing Peter essentially go through ‘spider puberty’ as a way of finding his feet in the world, considering how much he had lost. It’s as if we’re ‘growing up’ alongside Peter, Aunt May’s words ringing in our head, telling us to wield that great power and responsibility and use it for good.  

We’re practically cheering when we see Spider-Man’s enhanced abilities being put to use during the intense battle against The Hand. The fight was especially memorable for me because I noticed the reference to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2018 as Peter spins around, shooting webs. I thought that was pretty neat, especially when I learned the director confirmed they took inspiration from Insomniac Games. 

On the other hand, some critics complained that the plot was ‘messy’, perhaps due to the little screentime of Scorpion (considering his hype from the end credits of Homecoming) or with the interpretation of Jean Grey. Others mentioned the lack of details, such as how Peter supported himself financially over the years, and some noted minor complaints regarding second act pacing due to character drama.  

Another thing the MCU intentionally skipped was Uncle Ben’s existence to avoid repeating details audiences already knew by heart. Still, even a brief shot of his grave would have provided some acknowledgement that he existed at all. This feels especially true now that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has finally hit his ‘canon event’ with Aunt May taking on Ben’s traditional role and line, pushing Peter onto his classic, solitary hero path. The films have similarly ignored traditional supporting characters like Gwen Stacy or Harry Osborn. While we can only speculate on whether they will show up in future movies, the MCU has clearly chosen to reinvent Spider-Man’s lore from the ground up. 

Acting & Character Dynamics 

Tom Holland delivers a strong performance as a now-mature Peter Parker, stripped of the technology from his late father figure, Tony Stark, showing us how a hero truly finds his own way in a world that’s forgotten him. The antagonists are driven by personal motivations, which makes the conflict feel incredibly intimate rather than the typical MCU plotline with a ‘world-ending’ craving villain. Additionally, while confusing for newcomers, the new faces from other MCU media (e.g. The Punisher and Jean Grey) bring fresh energy to the storyline. In contrast, the return of familiar faces like The Hulk, Scorpion and Black Widow (Yelana) are also welcomed. 

Comparison to No Way Home 

Let’s be real, No Way Home set the bar high. Imagine being in a cinema when the reveal where both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield make their way into the MCU through Strange’s portals—nothing can beat that. It was the ultimate crossover of crossovers, leaving fans blown away. But Brand New Day completely flips the script by ditching the multiversal madness in favour of brutal isolation and street-level action. The classic, grounded storyline that fans have been craving. 

My Thoughts as a ‘Casual Viewer’ 

As mentioned previously, with new faces crossing over from other media, preparing to watch Brand New Day became a little harder, since I did not have time to watch all 2 seasons of The Punisher to understand who Frank Castle was. Nor have I watched Black Widow to know who Yelana was. That was something I had quickly adjusted to, and, annoying as it was, it is to be expected for the future of the MCU now, given Doomsday’s rumours and jokes about multi-fandom crossovers. You can never be fully prepared. Thankfully, not knowing much about these characters didn’t ruin my experience, and I still found learning about them to be enjoyable.  

So, to wrap it up, how easy is it to start watching the Spider-Man films if you’re just wanting to watch Tom Holland’s Spider-Man exclusively? 

Viewing Experience & Order 

For viewers focusing primarily on Peter Parker’s journey in the MCU, his main appearances span the following films (excluding his brief cameo in Iron Man 2, which was confirmed to be young Peter Parker): 

• Captain America: Civil War 

• Spider-Man: Homecoming 

• Avengers: Infinity War 

• Avengers: Endgame 

• Spider-Man: Far From Home 

• Spider-Man: No Way Home 

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day 

Based on personal viewing experience, these films can largely be enjoyed on their own. But be warned that Infinity War and Endgame contain heavy spoilers for prior Marvel films; they are vital to Peter’s character development, and can’t be avoided. Watching them might ruin your enjoyment of watching the films in order. Despite knowing little of the lore, I still managed to be incredibly emotional by the duology’s end, which proves how good the films are regardless of whether you know everything that happens.