Spider-Man 4 gets a potentially devastating update

Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are ready to once again collaborate on Spider-Man 4. After the success of the third film in the franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Homenobody can blame them for that. A roaring success that brought back the two previous Spider-Man stars (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) and united them on-screen with current Spidey Tom Holland, the 2021 movie made nearly $2 billion at the box office and brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man trilogy to a crossroads: Should it carry on, or should it bow out?

The truth is that they went for the middle ground. Spidey’s light-hearted high school “Homecoming” days are over and a brand new, mature trilogy will begin focusing on Peter Parker being a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in a much bigger neighborhood: New York City. That being said, given that this is the Multiverse Saga, there are expected to be some Multiverse mayhem moments in the upcoming film, especially as it is set between two Avengers movies – the same two Avengers movies that will bring the Multiverse Saga to a close.

The anticipation for Spider-Man 4 is at an all-time high and that isn’t much of a surprise. It’s even more anticipated after the confirmation that Destin Daniel Cretton will direct. But a new, more recent update has left fans concerned that it might not be released as early as expected.

According to prolific insider Viewer Anon, Spider-Man 4 will be delayed to December 2026. The film is currently slated for a July 24, 2026 release but the insider states that it’s going to have a Christmas release instead, arguing that this always made the most sense due to the major success of predecessor Spider-Man: No Way Home as well as the fact that there are no Star Wars or Avatar releases for it to compete with on that particular holiday season.

This scooper is known for being reliable, so there is a good chance that the film does get moved to the holidays for the reasons they mentioned but it’s also worth bearing in mind that Marvel has seen some billion-dollar success during the summer slot that houses the film’s current release date. Look no further than this year’s Deadpool and Wolverinewhich made $1.3 billion this summer. So there is a case to be made for keeping it during the summer, especially if Sony and Marvel wanted it to be a mid-year blockbuster. However, here’s what makes the potential move all the more likely.

The Hot Mic recently reported that the production, which was due to begin next summer, had been delayed to late 2025. If that is the case, then it rules out a summer 2026 release altogether. Given the scale of a movie like this one, it would be unfeasible to have the whole film shot, edited, and finalized in a six-month period. With Marvel Studios’ commitment to its new approach of taking its time to perfect upcoming titles, you can bet that they wouldn’t want to rush an entry as lucrative as Spider-Man 4.

So, yes, if the movie does get pushed to December, the wait will be quite a bit longer than anticipated, and considering No Way Home will be five years old at that point, it’s pretty understandable if fans are upset at this potential update (especially as Marvel Studios and Sony haven’t gone more than two years without a Tom Holland-led Spider-Man movie until now). But from a logistical standpoint, this does make sense.

After all, Spider-Man: No Way Home grossed $1.952 billion at the box office as a festive release, so it would be smart of Sony and Marvel to look to replicate that. And with Christopher Nolan’s new movie (which will also star Tom Holland and Zendaya) set to take up a lot of IMAX screens in July 2026, the reasons for a move to the holiday season are plentiful at this point.

The concerning aspect of the potential date change is that Spider-Man 4 has to come out between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Warsso if it gets pushed too much further, it could disrupt the release schedule for one – or both – of those movies, too. Here’s hoping that does not happen.

We’ll have to wait for Marvel Studios and / or Sony to make an official announcement about the release date change, but right now, it is beginning to look like the wait for Spider-Man 4 has gotten quite a bit longer.