Spider-Man: Brand New Day Box-Office Opening: Tom Holland Breaks China in New Record

Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s early China release proved that Peter Parker’s pull in the country has not faded one bit. Superhero movies have largely struggled to connect with Chinese audiences in recent years. But Brand New Day, which opened across the country on Wednesday (July 29), did not just break the streak; it generated a scale of enthusiasm not seen in many years. The performance of this movie, which is Tom Holland’s fourth solo outing as the wall-crawler, in China bodes well for its global theatrical run as well. Apart from Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, the movie also stars Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal, and more.

What makes the moment sweeter is the history behind it. Brand New Day‘s predecessor, Spider-Man: No Way Home, never even made it to Chinese theaters, and still managed to gross an incredible $1.92 billion globally (per Box Office Mojo, as of July 29, 2026), thanks also to the presence of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield‘s versions of Spider-Man teaming up with Holland’s. That means this is Spidey’s first real shot at the market since 2019. Early estimates already have the film pacing well ahead of recent Marvel releases and edging toward totals the franchise hasn’t touched since the MCU’s biggest years.

Here’s how the numbers are actually shaking out — and where Brand New Day stands against Holland’s version of Spidey’s own record-setting past.

Note: All the figures about past movies concern original release (and not rereleases) and are not adjusted for inflation.

Quick reference:

CategoryDetails

Title	Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Director	Destin Daniel Cretton
Main Cast	Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, Liza Colón-Zayas, Jacob Batalon, Zendaya, Michael Mando
Premise	Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker lives anonymously in New York and embraces life as a street-level hero while facing a dangerous new roster of villains, including Scorpion, Tombstone, The Hand, and others.
Release Date	July 31, 2026
IMDb Score	N/A
Rotten Tomatoes Score	90% (Tomatometer, as of July 29, 2026)

China Delivers a Post-COVID Superhero Resurrection

The importance of what’s happening in Chinese cinemas can be gauged by the performance of superhero movies in that country over the past few years. The presales for Brand New Day amounted to $18.6 million (RMB 126.2 million), and this is the highest presale gross of any foreign film in the last three years (via The Hollywood Reporter). Such a figure indicates that there was something exceptional taking place even prior to the release of the film in China.

Once theaters opened, though, the pace only intensified. The local ticketing platform, according to The Hollywood Reporter, forecast a first-day haul to be around $37.4 million. Interestingly, the only other superhero movie that has come close is the last Spider-Man movie to release in China, Far From Home, which debuted to $36 million in 2019.

Sony and Marvel also made some deliberate moves to maximize the moment. China was handed the earliest release date anywhere in the world for Brand New Day, opening a full two days before North America, and was given an exclusive IMAX rollout that American audiences don’t currently have access to since domestic large-format screens remain tied up with Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey. It’s a bet that has paid off handsomely. It was made easier by the fact that the last Spider-Man film, No Way Home, wasn’t in a position to compete for Chinese audiences at all. 

It’s like the people were hankering for a big-screen Spider-Man experience in their lives. For many Chinese moviegoers, Brand New Day effectively serves as the long-awaited continuation of Holland’s story after Far From Home grossed $199 million in the territory.

The momentum extends beyond opening day. Maoyan’s initial forecast, per the aforementioned THR report, pegs Brand New Day for a staggering $255 million (RMB 1.73 billion) China run, while rival tracker Dengta is even more bullish at over $265 million (RMB 1.8 billion). Although such forecasts typically fluctuate over the course of a theatrical run, either total would make it Hollywood’s biggest Chinese box office success since Avengers: Endgame in 2019, which would outdo Avatar: The Way of Water.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Eyes One of the Biggest Openings Ever

Deadline‘s global projections for Spider-Man: Brand New Day estimate that it will make about $465 million at the global box office during its first weekend, thanks mainly to its predicted debut of $195 million in the United States and around $270 million in the international box office. The trade indicates that competitors think that the first-week figures in North America may reach $250 million, with presales reaching $80 million, exceeding that of Spider-Man: No Way Home at this point.

Variety is even more bullish. It projects a debut of between $260 million and $280 million in North America, along with estimated earnings of $275 million to $300 million in overseas markets. The global forecast, then, hovers around $535 million to $580 million. Even the lower figure would be something of a miracle. Should the projections prove correct, Brand New Day would be able to challenge the global debut of Spider-Man: No Way Home, thus claiming its position as one of the highest-earning openings in the history of the box office.

PublicationProjected Worldwide Opening

Deadline	$465 million
Variety	$535 million–$580 million
The Hollywood Reporter	More than $425 million
TheWrap	$465 million

The Hollywood Reporter, in the aforementioned report, points to a massive worldwide bow. It says analysts expect $180 million domestically and more than $425 million worldwide. The trade indicates that despite the grand opening of Brand New Day in China, it might become the biggest release by Hollywood in China since Avengers: Endgame and one of the biggest openings by Sony and Marvel in the post-pandemic era.

Sources told TheWrap that Brand New Day‘s presales and social media buzz have outshone Deadpool and Wolverine’s numbers. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman‘s MCU foray opened in North America at $211 million and worldwide at $444 million (per Box Office Mojo). Add to this the early Chinese box office performance, the PG-13 rating (unlike Deadpool and Wolverine, which was rated R), positive reviews, as well as Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Sadie Sink’s star power.

Combined with the early China performance, the PG-13 rating (as opposed to Deadpool & Wolverine‘s R-rating), the good reviews, as well as the star power of Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Sadie Sink, these factors will probably put Holland’s fourth time around as Spidey toward the higher-end projections, or even beyond them.

How Brand New Day Stacks Up Against Past Spider-Man Openings

While most reviews are positive, FandomWire’s Joshua Ryan, in his 5/10 review of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, called it “a big disappointment, with hokey emotional beats and atrocious CGI.” The movie continues the tale of Peter Parker after the world forgot he is Spider-Man at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, including MJ and Ned. However, Holland has said that somebody still remembers his true identity. Watch the movie’s trailer here:

Even before the final numbers arrive, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to be one of the most successful Spider-Man launches of all time. Spidey is not the only draw here. Brand New Day also boasts many Spider-Man villains. At this stage, the local forecasts indicate that it is right at the level of Spider-Man: No Way Home, whose opening still occupies the place of the third-largest in history after Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War (via Deadline). If the upper estimates hold, then Brand New Day may go even ahead of that. 

FilmWorldwide Opening Weekend

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)	$257 million (via Variety)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)	$310.0 million (via Variety)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)	$600.5 million
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)	$425 million –$580 million (projected)

Spider-Man is one of Hollywood’s most reliable box office brands. Based on current industry projections, Spider-Man: Brand New Day could deliver the biggest global debut in the franchise’s history outside of Spider-Man: No Way Home. And according to the more optimistic forecasts, it may even become the biggest Spider-Man movie of them all, at least in terms of global box office openings.

Do you think Spider-Man: Brand New Day will surpass No Way Home‘s record-breaking global debut, or will it fall just short? Share your predictions in the comments below.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in the US on July 31, 2026.