Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker, aka Tom Holland, is on a mission to save the cinema experience.
But how is Holland going to pull this off?
Beyond appearing in The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Holland is determined to preserve the theatrical experience.
Tom Holland is starring in two of the biggest films of 2026
Holland has grown up in the cinematic spotlight.
He first gained major notoriety starring in the Maldives Tsunami drama, The Impossible, in 2012.
Four years later, he made his big-screen bow as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, and overnight became a global sensation for his faithful interpretation of one of the world’s most beloved comic book characters.
10 years later, after several box office smash hits, Holland is returning to the big screen for his fourth solo Spider-Man web-linging flick.
But before Brand New Day graces the screens, Holland appears in the mega ensemble, The Odyssey.
This is the latest work from the renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan, based on the historic mythology by Homer.
Holland stars as Telemachus, the son of the lead, Matt Damon’s Odysseus.
It’s an important role in one of the most hotly anticipated films of 2026, and it’s fair to say Holland has found the experience of making The Odyssey to be profound.
“I can tell you that it is an absolute masterpiece, and I’m taking myself out of that equation,” Holland told GQ.
“Chris Nolan’s movie is fantastic. It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before.
“I think when I saw the movie, I found myself asking a question that I haven’t asked about a movie for a long time, which is, “How did you do that?”
“I think fans are going to be really, really blown away by the set pieces and sequences throughout the movie, because even as someone that was there on the day and was in the film, I was absolutely blown away by the scale, the scope, his ability to navigate such an intricate and heartfelt story in the middle of this insane kind of action movie.
So it’s one of my proudest achievements as an actor and I’m so touched that Chris gave me the opportunity to be in the film. And I really think that people are going to be floored by the film.”
Holland is cinema first
Nolan is well-known as an advocate for the theatrical experience.
His mantra is cinema first, film first and ensuring that moviegoing is a collective, shared experience.
It’s a passion that Holland shares, and perhaps starring in The Odyssey has reaffirmed the young Briton’s belief in the cinematic medium.
As it stands, Holland is determined to keep cinemas alive, and it has a direct impact on the projects he wants to work on.
“I am a real advocate for theatrical and the cinema and the communal experience of sitting in a dark room and being entertained,” he said.
“And I think there are some studios that do a better job of that than others, and I’m really keen to build relationships with those guys so that as a community, we can keep the cinemas going.
“I think that that is something for the next 10 years of my life that I will be very focused on.”
Year one of that 10-year plan is poised to make a positive impact on the cinema experience.
The Odyssey was already selling out IMAX tickets last year, ahead of its release on 17 July.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day closes the month of July, and after the trailer shattered viewership records, it could well be one of the biggest films not just of 2026, but of the decade.
Holland wants to save cinema, and his next two releases could very well set him on his way to doing so.
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