One of the biggest movies of the summer is getting locked out of the biggest screens. Spider-Man: Brand New Day won’t be playing in IMAX when it opens July 31, and the reason is Christopher Nolan.
As Variety reports, Nolan’s The Odyssey — the first film shot entirely on IMAX film cameras — has an exclusive four-week IMAX run beginning July 17.
That window runs straight through Spider-Man’s opening weekend, leaving Brand New Day shut out of the format entirely.
Why The Odyssey Gets IMAX And Spider-Man Doesn’t
IMAX has a limited number of screens, and when a film is shot natively on IMAX cameras, the company gives it priority, it’s the showcase use case for the format.
The Odyssey being the first movie shot entirely on IMAX film cameras makes it exactly the kind of release IMAX wants to protect with an exclusive run, even at the expense of a Marvel tentpole opening in the same window.
It’s a notable call given the box office stakes.
IMAX and other premium large formats have become a major chunk of opening-weekend grosses for effects-driven blockbusters, exactly the kind of movie Brand New Day is.
Losing IMAX means losing those higher-priced tickets on opening weekend, a real, if hard to quantify, dent in the film’s ceiling.
Spider-Man Isn’t The Only Marvel Movie Boxed Out Of IMAX
This is becoming a pattern.
Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel’s December tentpole, is also missing the IMAX brand, in that case because IMAX’s screens are committed to Denis Villeneuve’s next Dune.
Rather than go without a premium banner, Disney responded by launching its own certification, Infinity Vision, to market Doomsday as a premium large-format event even without the IMAX label.
Now Sony is doing its own version of the same move. With IMAX off the table, Brand New Day is leaning on a brand-new premium format instead, meaning the year’s two biggest Marvel movies are both reaching for IMAX alternatives in the same stretch.
What Spider-Man Gets Instead: A New ScreenX Format
Brand New Day is the launch title for a brand-new format from CJ 4DPlex — the company behind ScreenX and 4DX — called “Shot for ScreenX.”
Deployed on the company’s 270-degree cinemas, it expands select scenes beyond the traditional frame and onto the side walls of the auditorium for a panoramic, wraparound view.
What makes it more than a gimmick: Brand New Day is the first time CJ 4DPlex worked with a film’s production from shooting through distribution, sending its team to set to capture the side-wall footage directly.
“CJ 4DPlex and their team came to the set to actually shoot the footage that you will experience on screen in the wings of the chosen scenes of our film,” director Destin Daniel Cretton said. “This is a first. It’s something truly unique that nobody has experienced before.”
ScreenX currently runs in around 140 locations across the U.S. and Canada, a far smaller footprint than IMAX, but a genuine premium option for fans who want the most immersive version of the movie.
The Bottom Line For Fans
If you were planning to see Brand New Day in IMAX, you’ll need a different plan, the format belongs to The Odyssey this summer.
But between ScreenX, Dolby, and other premium options, there’s still a big-screen way to see it. Tickets are on sale now, including the July 29 Amazon Prime early screenings.
While the Spidey fans might be missing out on IMAX, at least it’s a win for Tom Holland and Zendaya, as both also star in The Odyssey.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Release Info
For everything we know about the movie — cast, villains, plot leaks, and release details — check our Spider-Man: Brand New Day guide. Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters July 31, 2026, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker.
