‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ First Reactions: Tom Holland Has ‘Never Been Better’ in a Sequel That Ditches ‘Multiverse Tedium’ and Delivers a ‘Grounded Spider-Man Tale’ - Variety

What the report says

Variety reported that early press reactions to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” are strongly positive ahead of the film’s nationwide theatrical opening on July 31. The Marvel/Sony sequel, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is Tom Holland’s fourth standalone outing as Peter Parker and is being described by several critics and entertainment journalists on X as a more grounded, emotionally driven chapter for the character.

According to Variety’s roundup, Fandango’s Erik Davis praised the movie as more mature than Holland’s earlier trilogy and highlighted its action, detective-story elements and Spider-Man/Punisher dynamic. Other early reactions cited by the outlet praised the film’s action, emotional beats and performances, with Peter Howell saying it moves away from multiverse-heavy storytelling toward Spider-Man’s New York roots. Kevin Verma of Nexus Point wrote that Holland “has never been better,” while additional posts singled out Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo and Sadie Sink.

Variety said the story is set four years after “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” after Doctor Strange’s spell erased Peter from everyone’s memory. In the new film, Peter fights crime in New York without the support of MJ or Ned, while a mysterious villain played by Sink appears and his powers begin changing. The cast also includes Jacob Batalon, Ruffalo as Hulk and Bernthal as Punisher.

The reaction matters because expectations are high after “No Way Home” earned $1.9 billion worldwide, following the $1.1 billion haul of “Far From Home.” Variety also noted Holland had greater involvement this time, including studying fan views online and contributing ideas during development.