For Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal, and Zendaya, this year has been one of the biggest of their careers. The trio first appeared alongside each other in Christopher Nolan‘s adaptation of Homer‘s ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey, his latest ambitious cinematic experience after the three-hour biopic Oppenheimer.
No one quite expected just how far Nolan’s latest ship would sail during its theatrical run, eventually earning $1.8 billion and becoming the highest-grossing movie in the director’s filmography, surpassing both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, his only other two billion-dollar movies.
Called an “unrivaled cinematic spectacle” in Joe Schmidt‘s review for Collider, The Odyssey is now a favorite to sweep the 2027 Academy Awards, with some suggesting it will defeat Sinners‘ record as the most nominated movie of all time. But, rather remarkably, The Odyssey isn’t the most successful movie to feature Holland, Bernthal, and Zendaya in 2026. That would instead be Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as Holland’s Friendly Neighborhood Spidey looked to leave a poor 2025 for the MCU in the past and swing to new heights in the year of Doomsday.
It was instantly clear that Brand New Day was destined to be a phenomenon. The records fell immediately for the latest Spidey movie, earning the biggest opening weekend in domestic history, the biggest first-week haul of all time, and becoming the second-fastest film to reach the $1 billion mark worldwide. Arguably, the film’s greatest achievement was overtaking Star Wars: The Force Awakens to become the highest-grossing film of all time domestically, but its success is certainly not limited to its theatrical run, as the film has now become unstoppable at home.
Six heroes on file
Collider · Marvel
Which MCU Hero
Are You?
Ten questions · six heroes · one destiny
Six heroes. One destiny. Ten questions to work out which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, your values and your fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly or thunder your way to glory?
Spider-Man
Queens, New York
Responsibility is not something you chose. It found you, and you never put it down.
Why this is you
- You show up for the small stuff nobody is watching.
- You joke through fear rather than letting it stop you.
- You take the loss personally, every time.
From the Collider file
- Tom Holland was introduced mid-fight in Civil War in 2016, with no origin story needed.
- No Way Home passed 1.9 billion dollars and became the biggest release of the pandemic era.
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived in 2026, his fourth solo outing in the MCU.
Daredevil
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
You looked into the dark and decided not to become it. That decision gets made again every night.
Why this is you
- You work the problem legally first and physically second.
- You hold a line you have genuinely wanted to cross.
- You take the cases nobody else will touch.
From the Collider file
- Charlie Cox’s 2015 series opened with a one-take hallway fight that reset the bar for
TV action. - Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin crossed into Hawkeye and Echo before the two reunited
on screen. - Daredevil: Born Again brought the pair back, and a second season followed in 2026.
Iron Man
Stark Industries, Malibu
You started out protecting yourself. Somewhere along the way the world became your problem.
Why this is you
- You solve it with the thing you built last night.
- You would rather be useful than liked.
- You have a contingency for the contingency.
From the Collider file
- The 2008 film launched the entire MCU on a casting choice the studio considered a real risk.
- Much of Robert Downey Jr.’s dialogue was improvised, the closing line included.
- Announcing himself at that press conference threw out the secret-identity rulebook for a
decade of films.
The Punisher
New York City
What is left after the fire is not broken. It is narrowed down to one thing.
Why this is you
- You finish what you start, with no appetite for ceremony.
- You keep your circle small and your mission smaller.
- You accept being the villain in somebody else’s telling.
From the Collider file
- Jon Bernthal arrived in Daredevil’s second season in 2016 and earned a two-season show
of his own. - The character was created in 1974 by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, as a
Spider-Man antagonist. - Bernthal returned in Born Again, with a Disney+ special following on from it.
Thor
Asgard, the Nine Realms
Worthiness is not a thing you are given. It is a thing you keep earning.
Why this is you
- You go first, and loudly.
- You take the lesson, eventually.
- You are the morale of the room as much as its muscle.
From the Collider file
- Chris Hemsworth nearly missed the part. His brother Liam got further in the process at
first. - Taika Waititi’s Ragnarok reinvented the character through heavy on-set improvisation.
- Hemsworth has headlined four Thor films, from 2011 through to 2022.
Captain America
Brooklyn, New York
Strength was never the point. Refusing to move was the point.
Why this is you
- You say the unpopular thing in the room where it costs you.
- You hold the plan together when it starts coming apart.
- You get back up. That is the whole trick.
From the Collider file
- Chris Evans turned the role down more than once before finally taking it.
- The Winter Soldier recast the series as a political thriller and is still held up as its
best. - Anthony Mackie took over the shield and led Brave New World in 2025.
Copied to your clipboard
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Is a Streaming Hit
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Image via Sony Pictures -
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing -
Image via Sony Pictures -
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing -
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
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Image via Sony Pictures -
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing -
Image via Sony Pictures -
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing -
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
At the time of writing, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the most-watched movie on Prime Video in the world. The film is also the second-most-watched movie on Prime in the U.S., falling short of the top spot to Anne Hathaway‘s new Colleen Hoover adaptation, Verity, also starring Dakota Johnson (Madame Web) and Josh Hartnett (Below). An official Disney+ streaming date for Brand New Day has yet to be announced, but due to Sony’s distribution deals, the film is expected to land on Netflix first, leaving its Disney arrival not likely until mid-2027.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the most-watched movie on Prime Video in the world. Stay tuned to Collider for more MCU news and streaming stories.
- Release Date
- July 31, 2026
- Runtime
- 145 minutes
- Director
- Destin Daniel Cretton
- Writers
- Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
- Producers
- Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Rachel O’Connor
Cast
Tom HollandPeter Parker / Spider-Man
Sadie SinkJean Grey
- Prequel(s)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man
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