Tom Holland Says Spider-Man: Brand New Day Early Cut ‘Totally Didn’t Work’ — Test Screening Notes Backfired

Tom Holland just dropped one of the most honest (and honestly hilarious) reveals about the making of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In a new interview with Quotable during the film’s press tour, the actor admitted that an early cut of the movie — one that incorporated every single note from test screening audiences — was so bad that even the cast and crew hated it.

“One of the cuts, they took all of the notes from all of the random people who saw the film,” Holland recalled. “And then they changed the movie, and we watched it, and we hated it. It totally didn’t work.”

It’s the kind of candid behind-the-scenes revelation that makes you appreciate just how many iterations a major blockbuster goes through before it hits theaters. And given that Brand New Day officially hits theaters today (July 31), with a reported 91% Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s safe to say they figured it out.

When Too Many Cooks Spoil the Superhero Soup

The idea of test screening notes driving creative decisions isn’t new — studios have been fine-tuning their movies based on audience feedback for decades. But Holland’s account suggests there’s a limit to how much democratic input a film can handle before it loses its identity.

You can imagine the scene: a room full of focus group feedback forms, each one suggesting a tweak. “The joke in Act 2 needs to land harder.” “Can we get more of the villain?” “The third act needs to be bigger.” Multiply that by hundreds of audience members, and you end up with a movie shaped by committee — a Frankenstein’s monster of crowd-pleasing compromises that nobody actually loves.

That was apparently the case here. The studio listened to everything audiences said, applied every note, and ended up with a cut that didn’t work for anyone — including the guy playing Spider-Man himself.

From Rough Cut to 91% Fresh

The good news? Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures didn’t stick with that version. The final cut of Brand New Day has been getting strong early reactions, with critics and premiere audiences praising Holland’s performance as his best yet in the role. Early reviews describe it as a grounded Spider-Man story that ditches the multiverse complexity of the previous films and focuses on what made the character great in the first place.

Destin Daniel Cretton, fresh off his work on Shang-Chi, directs the film, which runs a hefty 145 minutes. That’s a long runtime for a Spider-Man movie, suggesting there’s plenty of story to tell. The cast also reportedly gives Holland room to share “beautiful one-on-one moments” with every character on screen — a sign that this might be the most character-driven Spider-Man film yet.

For comparison, Spider-Man: No Way Home was a massive multiverse event that brought together three generations of Spider-Men and broke box office records. Spider-Man: Far From Home was a globe-trotting adventure that dealt with the aftermath of Endgame. Brand New Day, by contrast, seems to be taking a more intimate approach — focusing on Peter Parker as a person rather than as a cog in the MCU machine.

The Art of the Edit

Holland’s comments are a rare peek behind the curtain of how movies actually get made. Most actors stick to careful PR speak about “the collaborative process” and how “everyone’s input was valued.” Holland just told us that a version of the movie that incorporated everyone’s input was terrible.

It’s a useful reminder that good filmmaking isn’t democratic. Some of the best creative decisions come from saying no to what audiences think they want. James Gunn went through a similar process with Superman, test screening the film and discovering that audiences opposed a specific moment — which he then had to navigate carefully.

What we’re seeing with Brand New Day is the studio system working the way it should: test screenings provide data, but the filmmakers make the final call. The early cut that “totally didn’t work” served its purpose as a valuable learning experience — it showed the creative team what not to do.

The cast itself is a major draw. Alongside Holland, the film features Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon returning as Ned, and new additions that have been kept largely under wraps. The decision to bring Cretton on board — a director known for bringing emotional depth to genre material — suggests Marvel and Sony wanted someone who could balance the spectacle with genuine heart. The first reactions confirm that approach paid off, with multiple early reviewers noting that Holland has never been better in the role.

If you’ve followed Spider-Man‘s journey on screen, this pattern of trial and error is nothing new. From Tobey Maguire’s trilogy to Andrew Garfield’s two films to Holland’s run, every iteration of the character has gone through its share of development struggles. What matters is what ends up on screen.

Should You Watch Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

All signs point to yes. The early reactions are overwhelmingly positive, the Rotten Tomatoes score is strong, and Holland sounds genuinely proud of the final product — even if the journey to get there was bumpy. The film’s grounded approach is a smart pivot after the high-concept multiverse madness of No Way Home, and Cretton has proven he can handle both intimate character moments and large-scale action.

Brand New Day also continues the MCU’s recent trend of slowing down and focusing on character. After years of universe-building climaxes, Phase 5 and the early Phase 6 films have been more about individual stories. This Spider-Man installment fits perfectly into that philosophy.

The movie is expected to have the biggest opening weekend of any 2026 film so far. If the test screening story proves anything, it’s that sometimes the best thing a studio can do is trust its filmmakers — even when the random people in the audience have a lot of opinions.

You can catch Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters starting today. If you want to revisit how Peter Parker got here, check out our coverage of Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, and the earlier Holland installments.