Spider-Man: Brand New Day has broken box office records for Sony Pictures, but for Marvel Studios, it serves as proof that there's still plenty of life left in the MCU.
2025 was a challenging year for the studio. Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps received great reviews, but didn't make a massive impact at the box office. Captain America: Brave New World, meanwhile, bombed despite previously being one of Marvel's most lucrative franchises.
Variety caught up with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige following Spider-Man: Brand New Day's amazing opening weekend. The trade started by wondering whether he'd ever imagined another MCU movie reaching—and surpassing—Avengers: Endgame's 2019 opening weekend.
"I didn’t — for all the reasons I don’t think anyone did, because of COVID, because of the beating that theatrical took for so long. But once the bar had been raised, it could be raised again, right? The first movie to ever cross $100 million over opening weekend was Sam Raimi’s 'Spider-Man.' The first to cross $150 million in one weekend was Sam Raimi’s 'Spider-Man 3.' The first to $200 million was the first 'Avengers.' And then, of course, the first to $300 million was 'Endgame.'"
"We did think that things could increase, but the past five or six years didn’t necessarily feel like that was the case. That’s a long-winded way of saying I did not expect 'Endgame’s' record to be beat, but I couldn’t be happier that it was beat this past weekend by our 38th MCU movie."
"It’s a testament to [director] Destin Daniel Cretton, Tom Holland, and [producer] Amy Pascal. And [Sony Pictures chairman] Tom Rothman, for letting us do this four times now — working to bring Spidey to the screen. It’s a testament to what Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created all those years ago. People can write about changing tastes, but as characters that grow and evolve through the decades, there are none better than the Marvel characters — and none better than Peter Parker. When you find an actor like Tom Holland to bring that character to life, it is the magic formula."
Asked about the "superhero fatigue" narrative and whether audiences need something new from superhero movies, Feige used The Fantastic Four: First Steps as an example of a movie that "looked and sounded like nothing that had been done in a superhero movie before, and it only [grossed] $521 million."
'Brand New Day' is very directly a part four. It picks up right after the events of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home,'" he added, "and yet it tells a story that resonates. It’s ultimately about loneliness and the dangers of staying in our apartments by ourselves, looking at our phones. That resonates across cultures and across the globe right now."
Spider-Man 5 seems a given after Brand New Day's success, but Feige wouldn't be drawn on sharing too much about potential sequel plans.
"There are always plans. But right now, he’s going to rest after that global tour," the executive said. "He and Zendaya are going to take a good and restful victory lap, which they very much deserve."
Sadie Sink's Jean Grey also came up, and Feige was asked why it was so important to keep the character under wraps. "It’s purely about creating the best possible opening weekend experience for the audience. Sadie’s character is one that our fans know has immense significance within the Marvel Universe, and she plays a key role in the future of the MCU."
"For people who’ve seen 'Brand New Day,' they know the storyline leads us into more 'Spider-Man' films and into the future of the MCU," he continued, promising that Jean's debut "leads into another very well-known Marvel franchise created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby."
Feige is, of course, referring to Jake Schreier's X-Men reboot. Sink will be front and centre in that as Jean, and having a lead who has just starred in one of the biggest superhero movies ever will certainly help mutants make their mark in theaters a couple of years from now.
As for Spider-Man 5, while it's a little surprising that an announcement hasn't been made yet, it's hard to imagine Sony and Marvel not already having early plans for where this franchise swings next.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.