Web of billions: how Spider-Man became the most heroic franchise in Hollywood
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>Tom Holland’s fourth outing as Peter Parker broke box office records but how did the web-slinger avoid growing superhero fatigue?</p><p>A year ago, the superhero-industrial complex looked like it was on the wane. All three of Marvel’s big movies for 2025 underperformed to some degree or another, outgrossed by DC’s newest reboot of Superman – which itself made less than any number of previous-regime DC movies, and was followed up by this summer’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/30/supergirl-doggy-distress-frontier-justice-and-a-new-direction-for-superhero-movies-discuss-with-spoilers">Supergirl</a>, a costly bomb. It looked as if the age of heroes might be coming to an end, and only seemed fitting that the next big Avengers movie was subtitled <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/20/avengers-doomsday-trailer">Doomsday</a> (and had resigned itself to sharing a release date with the Imax-grabbing release of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/mar/17/dune-part-three-trailer-chalamet-villeneuve">a third Dune movie</a>).</p><p>But look out, as the song goes: here comes Spider-Man.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/04/spider-man-brand-new-day-performance">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
Tom Holland’s fourth outing as Peter Parker broke box office records but how did the web-slinger avoid growing superhero fatigue?A year ago, the superhero-industrial complex looked like it was on the wane. All three of Marvel’s big movies for 2025 underperformed to some degree or another, outgrossed by DC’s newest reboot of Superman – which itself made less than any number of previous-regime DC movies, and was followed up by this summer’s Supergirl, a costly bomb. It looked as if the age of heroes might be coming to an end, and only seemed fitting that the next big Avengers movie was subtitled Doomsday (and had resigned itself to sharing a release date with the Imax-grabbing release of a third Dune movie).But look out, as the song goes: here comes Spider-Man. Continue reading...
Curation & Context
This page summarizes a public news report from The Guardian. Global News Hub provides the "Why This Matters" takeaway using editorial insights and AI curation to give readers rapid, high-value context before they click through to read the full article.