Sony Pushes Tom Holland's Spider-Man: Brand New Day for a Best Picture Oscar
(Illustration: USA Current Affaires)
Sony Pictures wants Spider-Man to swing all the way to the Oscars. The studio will campaign for Spider-Man: Brand New Day for Best Picture at the 99th Academy Awards, Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Tom Rothman has told Deadline.
Rothman made the case in blunt terms. "The Academy is meant to recognize greatness. So, to be honest, I think it's greatness. If there aren't people thinking about it, we're gonna do what we can just to make people think about it," he said. Then he put the challenge to voters directly: "Are you telling me that there are 10 films this year that are better than this film?"
It is a bold claim for a superhero blockbuster, but Rothman is backing it with a serious campaign. Sony has hired awards consultants and plans FYC screenings starting just before Thanksgiving, with Q&As featuring filmmakers and department heads. Screenings are planned in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Madrid, Copenhagen, Rome, Mexico City, Berlin and Tokyo, and Rothman will host tastemaker events on both coasts of the United States.
A theatrical re-release is also planned for December 4, featuring footage not included in the original release — a move designed to put the film back in front of voters at exactly the right moment.
The Biggest Film of 2026
The numbers behind the campaign are hard to ignore. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth Tom Holland MCU Spider-Man film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and released on July 31, 2026, has made more than $2.5 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing movie of 2026.
Its opening was historic. The film took a record $168 million on its first day in the United States and Canada, topping the $157 million opening Friday set by Avengers: Endgame. It then passed $1 billion worldwide in just six days. At 145 minutes long, it is also one of the most substantial Spider-Man films ever made.
Critics have been largely positive too. The film holds 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 66 out of 100 on Metacritic — strong numbers for a blockbuster, even if they fall short of the rapturous reception enjoyed by some awards-season favourites.
There is also a personal story behind the film's existence. Holland persuaded Rothman to delay production so that he could first film Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, a decision that underlines just how much the star wanted this Spider-Man chapter to be made properly.
The Odds Are Long
Despite all of that, the odds of a Best Picture nomination remain long. Gold Derby ranks the film around 33rd to 36th in the race, with about a 0.46% chance of making the final ten. And history is not encouraging: of eight live-action Spider-Man films, only Spider-Man 2 has won an Oscar, for visual effects.
Rothman, however, argues that the rules themselves support his case. He pointed out that the Best Picture field grew from five to ten slots precisely so that voters could recognise quality commercial films, citing the snub of The Dark Knight as the moment that forced the change. He also named F1, Barbie, Wicked and Bohemian Rhapsody as crowd-pleasers that went on to earn Best Picture nominations.
It is a track record Rothman knows well. He founded Fox Searchlight, which won three Best Picture Oscars, and Sony earned 20 Oscar nominations in 2020 alone. Whether that experience can turn a superhero epic into an awards contender remains to be seen — and whether Holland and Zendaya will be available to campaign is unknown, as both are promoting other 2026 films, The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three.
For now, Sony is betting that box office, craft and sheer audience love can carry Brand New Day into a conversation usually reserved for very different kinds of films. Denis Villeneuve is also pushing ahead with the next James Bond film, while Johnny Depp's Hollywood comeback continues to gather pace — but this awards season, all eyes are on whether Spider-Man can do what no web-slinger has done before.
Does a blockbuster like Spider-Man deserve a Best Picture nomination? Tell us in the comments.
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