Sony Pictures CEO Jabs Anti-Theater Sentiment as Spider-Man: Brand New Day Breaks Box Office Records
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Tom Rothman on cloud nine, and he’s sticking it to folks who believe streaming will herald the death of the cinema experience.
There’s something special about going to the movies; nothing really beats crunching on some salty, buttery popcorn, sitting in a nice, cushy chair, and watching a film on the big screen with booming surround sound while the worries of the outside world wait for two hours.
That’s the sentiment of Rothman, at least, following the record-breaking success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the box office this past weekend. Despite being a fairly standalone story compared to some of Peter Parker's previous big-screen adventures, it surpassed Avengers: Endgame to rake in $360 million domestically.
"So, I guess movies aren’t dead after all?" Rothman said in an interview with Variety’s Rebecca Rubin. "What happened is miraculous. Spider-Man is uniting people across cultures and ages. People can piss on theatrical all they want, but that’s one thing that only movies — and movie theaters — can do."
Brand New Day wasn’t just a box office hit at home; the latest Spidey flick also scored the second highest-grossing film debut globally at $932 million, coming in second to the eye-popping $1.223 billion earned by Avengers: Endgame back in April 2019.
Of course, given Brand New Day’s success, fans are equal parts certain of and eager to know if Tom Holland will return for another Spider-Man movie — something that Rothman couldn’t confirm for certain.
"I love these questions," he told the outlet. "It’s like when a coach wins the Super Bowl and he goes to the press conference and they say to him, 'Are you going to win it next year?' The honest truth is we don’t know at this point. This has been the focus of our studio for almost two years. I can tell you this: I certainly, certainly hope. I heard Tom say at some point that he wanted to continue, and we would love it if he did."
When Rubin pressed for more, asking if there’s a "world in which there will be another Spider-Man sequel with Tom Holland," Rothman simply answered, "Yes."
Back when No Way Home released in 2021, Holland said he hoped to play New York’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man until he "can’t walk anymore," but more recently began speaking about taking on a successor when the time comes for him to put up the mask. Last week, he said details surrounding Spider-Man 5 were "unclear."
"For whoever’s next, whether that is a Miles Morales or a Spider-Gwen or a Spider-Woman or something like that, I would love to be a part of setting up the next chapter," he told Empire in May 2026. "Whatever that looks like, I don’t know. But if I could do what Downey did for me, then I would be so content swinging off into the sunset."
After also breaking Avengers: Endgame's records for domestic previews and opening days, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still going strong, and will even receive IMAX screenings starting August 7, joining the The Odyssey as Nolan's epic adpatation extends its IMAX 70MM offerings to mid-September.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.