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Grounded Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sets $72M Preview Record

7/31/2026

Summary

Spider-Man Sets Record

Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned $72 million in Thursday previews, surpassing the $60 million record set by Avengers: Endgame.
Advance ticket sales have reached $80 million for the $225 million production starring Tom Holland and Zendaya.
The film opened without IMAX, using CJ 4DPlex’s ScreenX format, marking the first major franchise shot for that technology.
Rotten Tomatoes shows a 98% audience score and a 90% certified-fresh critic rating, the highest audience rating in the series.

Summary

Miller Endorses Ditko

Frank Miller posted on Instagram calling Brand New Day the most Ditko movie yet, praising Tom Holland and The Hand’s fan-celebration role.
J. Michael Straczynski tweeted that the film delivers the most authentic Peter Parker moments, unlike typical “MacGuffin” superhero plots.
Both praised the movie’s grounding in Steve Ditko’s street-level tone, contrasting it with recent blockbusters.
Miller’s endorsement is striking because he previously called the Daredevil and Elektra movies “lousy.”

Summary

Cretton Demands Grounded

Director Destin Daniel Cretton told Sony chief executive Tom Rothman he needed a clear definition of “grounded” before directing the film.
Director Destin Daniel Cretton and Sony chief executive Tom Rothman debated “grounded,” with Cretton insisting the movie avoid multiverse and cosmic battles.
Director Destin Daniel Cretton said he would not direct a blockbuster that relies on grand spectacle, even for a billion-dollar franchise.

History

Historical Context

Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman opened Warner Bros.’ first Batman film series, which continued through 1997 and was followed by Batman Returns in 1992. Michael Keaton’s acclaimed performance set a benchmark for future portrayals. Sony’s 2024 Spider-Man: Brand New Day adopts the same grounded aesthetic, indicating studios now favor character-driven narratives over multiverse-heavy CGI spectacles.

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Spider-Man Sets Record

Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned $72 million in Thursday previews, surpassing the $60 million record set by Avengers: Endgame.
Advance ticket sales have reached $80 million for the $225 million production starring Tom Holland and Zendaya.
The film opened without IMAX, using CJ 4DPlex’s ScreenX format, marking the first major franchise shot for that technology.
Rotten Tomatoes shows a 98% audience score and a 90% certified-fresh critic rating, the highest audience rating in the series.

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