Brand New Day promo video continues year-long process of shoving movie down throats

With superhero cinema’s weakening grasp over mass audiences in mind, Sony Pictures Entertainment has begun its public awareness campaign for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a movie that won’t release until July 2026. After giving webheads a sneak peek at Spider-Man’s new look, which sports a larger spider ensignia, visible webshooters, a traditional red and blue color scheme, and a distinct lack of CGI spider legs, Sony has released a new Tom Holland-narrated video of Spider-Man in action on location. It’s all well and good, but, Jesus, can we have five seconds to remember what happened on Iron Heart before diving back into the multiverse?

Apparently not. The studio is determined to convince us that this one will be different. It’s a Brand New Day—a Spider-Man: Brand New Day, if you will, and Sony’s dropping the “Home” naming convention and telling moviegoers that this Spider-Man will use “old-school” filming techniques like locations. In the video, Tom Holland returns to the set for his “fourth ever day one on Spider-Man” and meets with fans, including several children in Spider-Man costumes, which we need to remind our irony-pilled selves that this is who this is actually supposed to be for. And, thankfully, they seem excited for the ninth, mainline Spider-Man movie.

But while we’re quelling the cynical side of our brains for a second, we can’t help but admit that the new suit is, unfortunately, working on us, and so is seeing old Spidey crouch on a tank before a gaggle of would-be New Yorkers watchin’ over here (we think this was filmed in Glasgow). It was “the first time we ever had fans on set day one,” Holland continued, “so it’s really exciting to share this with them.” The addition of the crowd gives the promo a touch of the political candidate showing off their “man of the people” skills. Or maybe this is all Tom Holland’s doing. Does he have a rider requiring studios to begin promoting his work a year out? His Odyssey has also started the promotional cycle, and that one won’t land until next July, too.

Holland continues that the new picture “feels different this time”—perhaps because Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is in the director’s chair. We could quibble, yet again, that Shang-Chi still doesn’t have a sequel, but it’s a relief to see some new blood behind the camera. Old MCU favorites like Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal, and Jacob Batalon are also expected to join.

Anyway, mark your calendars for July 31, 2026, when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters. Or, don’t. We’re confident this won’t be the last reminder about it.

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