A Tom Holland interview has produced the sort of honesty actors usually save for long after a film leaves theaters. Speaking on the July 22 episode of Dish Podcast, Holland admitted that promoting a movie can become awkward when he does not believe audiences should actually see it.
“When you’re doing press for movies you’re really proud of, it’s really easy,” he told hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett. “Because when they ask you questions about why should people go and watch this movie, you’re not lying to anyone.”
That has not always been his experience. Holland recalled being asked why people should buy tickets while privately thinking: “You shouldn’t, because it’s shit.” A minor obstacle when the job is to say precisely the opposite.
He did not identify any of the films he disliked. Despite online speculation involving titles such as Chaos Walking, Cherry and Dolittle, no credible report has established that Holland was referring to any specific project.
Why Holland calls this summer a victory lap
Holland said promoting Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day has felt markedly different because he is proud of both films.
“It’s felt really like a bit of a victory lap, to be honest,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m super proud of both of the films.”
At the time of the interview, the two projects occupied different positions. The Odyssey had already received strong reviews and audience reactions, while Brand New Day had not yet screened for critics, as TheWrap noted. Holland’s enthusiasm for the Spider-Man sequel was therefore personal rather than supported by an outside critical consensus.
His comments about Nolan’s film were more specific. Holland told Tempus Magazine that Nolan was “often overlooked as a writer” and praised the director for balancing a “humongous epic” with an intimate love story. That emotional scale helps explain Holland’s investment in the press tour. He is not simply selling spectacle, but describing a film he believes gives audiences something human inside all the expensive machinery.
The Odyssey box office supports his confidence
Ticket sales have given Holland’s pride some substantial backing. The Odyssey opened with $264.1 million worldwide and received an A CinemaScore. At that stage, it also held a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In its second North American weekend, the film earned an estimated $87 million, according to the Associated Press. That represented a decline of just 30% and gave Christopher Nolan his strongest second weekend to date, without adjusting earlier totals for inflation.
By July 26, the worldwide total had reached $639.6 million. IMAX screenings contributed $48 million during the second weekend alone. Demand has been particularly intense for the 70mm IMAX presentation, which was available in only 41 theaters worldwide. The Associated Press reported that most of those screenings were sold out through September.
The audience was 59% male, but otherwise unusually broad across age groups and regions. Rentrak analyst Paul Dergarabedian described the second-weekend performance as evidence of moviegoers’ “excitement and enthusiasm” and predicted that the film would continue drawing audiences into August.
For an actor discussing how much easier it is to recommend work he respects, those numbers offer unusually clear feedback: audiences appear willing to take the recommendation.
Spider-Man arrives with Holland holding more influence
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens July 31, with analysts telling the Associated Press that it could deliver the biggest opening of 2026. The release also reflects Holland’s growing influence behind the camera, not just his continued visibility inside the Spider-Man suit.
Variety reported that Holland persuaded Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman to delay the film so he could make The Odyssey. The scheduling change allowed Destin Daniel Cretton to direct and gave the creative team another six months to develop the screenplay.
That is a notable shift for Holland. He is no longer simply moving from one studio commitment to the next. He has enough leverage to help shape schedules and create more development time, decisions that can materially affect the finished film.
The two releases also create an unusual piece of blockbuster overlap. Holland and Zendaya appear in both films, even as Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures compete for the same summer audience. The Odyssey is expected to retain most IMAX screens while Brand New Day begins its run largely in conventional theaters.
Anne Hathaway offered a press-tour lesson
Holland also credited The Odyssey co-star Anne Hathaway with showing him how an experienced performer handles the less glamorous work surrounding a major release.
“I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with Anne Hathaway for the last three days and doing press with her,” he said. “For me, that’s been an awesome learning experience. She’s such a pro.”
The observation gives his blunt admission some useful context. Holland was not merely complaining about promotional duties. He was describing the difference between performing enthusiasm and communicating genuine pride, while acknowledging that even the latter requires skill.
For audiences, that distinction matters. Actors are expected to praise every project with equal conviction, whether the final product deserves it or not. Holland’s refusal to name the films he disliked keeps the focus where it belongs: on the discomfort of selling work he could not honestly recommend, and on the relief of finally promoting two projects he can.
