Spider-Man Swings Into Theaters With Record Hype, But Without a Single IMAX Screen
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ has spent the past month becoming one of the most talked about releases of the summer, and the buzz has only grown louder as its July 31 premiere gets closer. Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker alongside Zendaya, with Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo and Tramell Tillman rounding out a stacked cast under director Destin Daniel Cretton.
The film picks up years after ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ with Peter now living as a virtual stranger in a city that no longer remembers him. The story follows Peter fighting crime full time in a New York that doesn’t know his name, a pressure that sparks a surprising physical change even as a new pattern of crimes signals one of his most powerful threats yet.
Here is the twist fueling online conversation this week, ‘Brand New Day’ is heading to theaters without a single IMAX screen backing it up. Set for release on July 31, 2026, the movie finds itself sandwiched between two IMAX releases, Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ on July 17 and Warner Bros’ ‘Flowervale Street’ on August 14. For a Marvel tentpole of this size, losing the format entirely is a rare and notable call.
The reason comes down to Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ the first film shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, which secured an exclusive four week IMAX run beginning July 17 that runs straight through Spidey’s opening weekend. IMAX gives priority to films shot natively on its cameras since that is the showcase use case for the format, and ‘The Odyssey’ fits that description perfectly.
Fans hoping for a giant screen alternative do have one option. ‘Brand New Day’ is leaning into ScreenX in a bold new way, using ceiling mounted projectors that extend the picture onto the auditorium walls for a 270 degree panoramic view, with the CJ 4DPlex team reportedly shooting footage on set specifically for the format. That marks the first time the technology has been involved from production through distribution, though ScreenX currently only runs in around 140 locations across the United States and Canada.
None of that seems to be scaring off audiences. Sony and Marvel Studios’ sequel has posted the best first day presales in five years, according to Deadline, with the last comparable surge belonging to ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ back in 2021. Fandango has separately confirmed the film became its biggest first day ticket preseller of the year, edging out ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ and ‘Project Hail Mary.’ Tracking accounts now have the film projected to open above 250 million dollars domestically, putting it in the running for one of the biggest superhero debuts in years.
Whether the missing IMAX format ends up mattering once the ticket stubs are counted is still an open question, but Spidey fans certainly do not seem to be holding back their excitement. Does losing IMAX change how you plan to watch ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ or are you just as ready to line up for ScreenX and Dolby instead?
