Are you seeing Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the best possible screen?
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is swinging into cinemas today. I saw the film last night on a Hoyts Xtremescreen and thought the film looked fantastic up on that huge-ass screen. But, through the whole experience, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was seeing it on the best screen.
The film won’t be playing on IMAX. All of those screens are busy selling out with screenings of The Odyssey, which was filmed in its entirety for that screen experience. The narrative surrounding cinemas this past couple of years has been ramping up to this idea of ‘IMAX or GTFO.’
Why would you even see the movie if you weren’t watching it on a massive IMAX screen? Is it even a trip to the movies anymore without IMAX and its pricey tickets? For what it’s worth, here in Australia the Event Cinema chains VMAX and the Hoyts Xstremescreen is actually pretty fantastic.
I’d still opt for The Odyssey in IMAX if possible, if only because it was shot specifically for that screen size.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was filmed in both 1.90:1 for flat screens and 2.39:1 for scope screens. There won’t be a shortage of cinema screens that will play this film with a very good quality experience.
But… is it the best experience?
Lost in all of the chatter about IMAX is a screen experience that isn’t generating the conversation that it possibly should. It is called ScreenX and has a primary cinema screen supported by two screens on the side of the cinema walls giving a quasi 270 degree immersive experience.
You can see the ScreenX version of the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer below, which gives a good indication of the experience on offer. A significant amount of additional footage was filmed for this new Spider-Man film to play at ScreenX and if the trailer is anything to go by, it looks hugely impressive.
Is this the best format to see the movie in? The answer may tellingly lie with the NSW premiere held last night on an Xtremescreen rather than the brand new ScreenX theatre which opens in Sydney’s Broadway centre today.
It is part of Hoyts rollout of 12 ScreenX auditoriums across Australia and New Zealand over the next two years, bringing its total number of SCREENX screens to 14 by 2028.
If you see the film in ScreenX, please let me know. I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
In regards to the film itself… I really liked it quite a bit. It feels far more cinematic and like an actual movie than a lot of Marvel output, with some eye-poppingly good cinematography and special effects on display throughout. The Spider-Man films are almost always a good time out at the cinema and this is right up among the best of them.
I have some spoilery thoughts on the Screen Watching podcast out this morning, recorded straight out of the cinema last night.
News Desk
Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning Irish singer-songwriter, The Frames frontman and star of Once, has died in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Dublin at 56. He won the 2008 Best Original Song Oscar for “Falling Slowly.” If you loved that song from Once (of course you did… you’re not a monster), please take a listen to some of his work with The Frames. My favourite remains the 2001 album For The Birds. Read: The Guardian
Netflix has narrowly overtaken the BBC as UK audiences’ first-choice viewing destination, per Ofcom‘s 2026 Media Nations report. The split is generational — 36% of 16–24s pick Netflix first, versus 48% of over-75s who still turn to the BBC. Read: Deadline
ABC has renewed American Idol for a 10th season on the network — its 25th overall. Read: THR
The BBC is axing Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo as part of a drive to save £500m over three years, amid falling ratings. The main Mastermind continues with Clive Myrie; Live at the Apollo ends after 22 years. Read: Radio Times
Jay Baruchel has joined Prime Video‘s Reacher as a series regular for season five. Read: Deadline
Martha Plimpton and Silvia Dionicio will return for season two of HBO‘s Task, rejoining Mark Ruffalo along with new cast additions Mahershala Ali and Julianne Nicholson (reprising her Mare of Easttown role). Read: Deadline
The Daily Show is marking 30 years with a three-part podcast, 30 F#@king Years: The Daily Show Remembers, hosted by the News Team — Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta and more. Read: Variety
Michael J. Fox will receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 2026 Emmys, honouring his Parkinson’s research advocacy. Read: Variety
This is genuinely shocking! A Nova Scotia man spent 18 months in prison after police investigating a child-luring case subpoenaed the wrong Kik account — missing an underscore in a username referencing Skyrim‘s “Fus Ro Dah” dragon shout. His convictions were overturned on appeal this month. Read: Polygon
Trailer Park
Outer Banks returns for its fifth and final season August 20 on Netflix.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia returns for season 18 on FX/Hulu August 17.
Meet The Owens debuts on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland on August 28.
The six-part docuseries follows a year in the life of former England striker Michael Owen, his wife Louise, and their four children Gemma, James, Emily, and Jessica, as they juggle a horse racing business while contending with a chaotic home life.
S&X debuts on Netflix August 20.
At his clinic, sex therapist Ichito Shimotori treats diverse and intimate sexual issues with sincerity. Yet, he secretly hides a struggle of his own.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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