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'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' eyes $190M debut despite losing every US IMAX screen
Despite tracking a huge opening weekend, the film will miss out on IMAX screens, with Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' securing exclusive access to every US IMAX theatre under a four-week agreement
- PUBLISHED: Fri 17 Jul 2026, 2:08 PM
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is on track to become the biggest box office debut of 2026, but there's one surprising catch. It won't play on a single IMAX screen in the United States during its opening weekend.
According to industry tracking, Sony's latest Spider-Man film is projected to earn between $180 million and $190 million domestically in its opening weekend, with some forecasts suggesting it could reach $200 million to $210 million if momentum continues.
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If those numbers hold, the Tom Holland-led sequel would surpass Toy Story 5's $159.6 million debut and claim the year's biggest opening of the year.
It would also rank as the second-largest opening in Spider-Man franchise history, behind only 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which launched with a massive $260.1 million domestic debut.
Despite those enormous projections, Brand New Day will not receive a single IMAX screen in the United States during its opening weekend.
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which opened on July 17, secured a four-week IMAX exclusivity agreement that reserves every domestic IMAX auditorium for the duration of that window. As a result, Sony's biggest release of the year is locked out of the format regardless of demand.
The situation underscores how premium large-format screenings are often determined by contractual agreements between studios and exhibitors rather than audience interest.
IMAX operates with a limited number of screens, and when one film secures an exclusive booking, competing releases have no access to those premium auditoriums even if they are expected to generate stronger box office results.
While Brand New Day will still play in other premium formats, such as Dolby Cinema and other PLF screens, IMAX remains unavailable until Nolan's exclusivity period ends.
However, the early ticket sales suggest the lack of IMAX will do little to slow the film's momentum. Advance sales have reportedly become the strongest for a Spider-Man film since No Way Home, while audience surveys rank it as the most anticipated release of the summer.
The contrast with Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is particularly striking. The historical epic is currently projected to open between $80 million and $100 million while benefiting from every available IMAX screen across North America.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, despite being shut out of the format entirely, is expected to nearly double that performance.
If the projections hold, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will deliver the biggest opening weekend of 2026 without access to the industry's highest-grossing premium format, proving that audience demand can overcome even the biggest exhibition limitations.
Mariam Alrashdi is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter at Khaleej Times, with a focus on local trends, Emirati culture, and the arts.