Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened to $927 million globally over its opening weekend, ranking as the second-highest opening weekend of all time behind Avengers: Endgame. The Tom Holland film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, continues Peter Parker’s story after No Way Home, with his friends having forgotten him while new threats emerge. The film earned a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score and an A CinemaScore from audiences.

Early reactions have celebrated the film’s record-breaking debut and Spider-Man’s sustained box office dominance in the superhero genre. But the success is not solely the character’s doing.

Here is what Deadline reported:

Of those who went, 58% told PostTrak that it was part of a franchise they love, 47% said it looked fun and entertaining, 41% went for the cast as a whole, 39% went for Holland and 29% went for Zendaya.

The Cast Matters

The audience data makes it harder to dismiss Tom Holland and Zendaya as box office draw to the film’s success. According to PostTrak, 58% of viewers attended because they already loved the franchise, confirming that Spider-Man remained the biggest draw. However, 41% cited the cast, while 39% specifically named Holland and 29% named Zendaya.

Those figures do not mean the percentages can simply be added together, since respondents could select more than one reason. They do show that the film’s appeal extended well beyond the Spider-Man name. A significant chunk of the audience wanted to see this particular cast and this particular version of the franchise.

Spider-Man would almost certainly remain commercially powerful with different actors. But there is a major difference between saying the character guarantees an audience and claiming Holland and Zendaya contributed little to the record. The polling does not support that argument.

Holland has spent years building audience loyalty to his Peter Parker, while Zendaya brings her own fanbase, cultural visibility and popular chemistry with him. Their relationship also gives the film a promotional advantage that studios cannot manufacture with every pairing.

The franchise brought audiences through the door, but Holland and Zendaya helped turn an already valuable property into a larger cultural event. Spider-Man was the foundation. The cast provided the additional lift.

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