More than a month after Spider-Man: Brand New Day hit theaters, it has proven to be an incredible success, the likes of which few could have anticipated or guessed. At present, the movie is estimated to have grossed a staggering $2.4 billion approximately, meaning that it surpassed almost every MCU movie at the global box office except Avengers: Endgame (however, domestically, Brand New Day out-earned even Endgame). It will be fascinating to see what this reception and, theoretically, overall momentum means for the franchise’s upcoming few releases, particularly including Avengers: Endgame Encore later this month and Avengers: Doomsday in December. Perhaps this film is the exact launchpad these movies needed, or perhaps Brand New Day was a one-off smash hit success that other MCU films will struggle to replicate.
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The latter is likely not true, at least when it comes to Avengers blockbusters like Endgame Encore, Doomsday, and even Avengers: Secret Wars next year. There is simply too much investment in these stories to expect them not to perform at the box office. Yet, that doesn’t automatically mean that the wildly positive response and, frankly, fanfare that Brand New Day has received will be replicated. That is, any one of these movies may get viewers flocking to theaters just by nature of what these films are and what they represent to the larger MCU, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be celebrated once they’re seen. For that reason, it might be particularly important for Disney to take note of CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group Tom Rothman’s perspective on why Brand New Day landed the way that it did.
Brand New Day’s “Human” Element Was Critical
Speaking with Variety, Rothman discussed the immense success of Brand New Day, specifically touching upon why the movie had the massive impact that it did. He explained, “For a result like that to happen, everything has to work perfectly,” adding that Brand New Day is “not so much a superhero film, but ‘super-person’ film. The reason that movie has resonated all around the world is because it’s about a lonely guy…It’s like, yeah, it’s about friendship. It’s very human. It’s very emotional.” Rothman continued, “It’s got plenty of whiz-bang, but that’s not what the secret is. The secret is it’s a relatable story that almost everybody has related to.” This assessment by Rothman is an insightful one, and it certainly feels like a key aspect of why Brand New Day has been met with such glowing reviews and global positive reception.
Yes, the MCU has, of course, dealt with human emotions and troubles before, as have many superhero movies outside of the franchise, but there is something unique about Brand New Day’s focus on Peter’s solitude, loneliness, and deep-seated sadness; it is literally changing his DNA, after all. This also pairs well with Thunderbolts*, considering that, too, was about mental health and feeling isolated, but even with Yelena Belova’s comments about feeling so lonely, that ultimately proved to be an ensemble movie. Brand New Day, even with the inclusion of Frank Castle, MJ, Ned, and detective Jean DeWolff, ultimately saw a Peter who was very alone—and that resonated with audiences.
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A scene from Death to Smoochy -
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