Think ‘The Odyssey’ in IMAX Was Insane? ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ in ScreenX Is Next Level

Premium theatrical formats usually come and go without much fanfare, quietly competing for a slice of moviegoers’ attention against the more dominant giants of the industry. Every so often, though, a new format arrives at exactly the right moment to actually change how people talk about seeing a movie.

That’s the position ScreenX finds itself in as ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘ hits theaters, thanks to an unusual circumstance that pushed the format into the spotlight. With Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ locking down every domestic IMAX screen through a multi-week exclusivity deal, Sony turned to CJ 4DPlex’s panoramic 270-degree format as its premium alternative for Tom Holland’s latest outing.

What makes this rollout different from ScreenX’s usual presentations is that ‘Brand New Day’ marks the first film ever officially “Shot for ScreenX,” meaning the side-screen footage wasn’t generated digitally after the fact but actually captured on set using dedicated camera rigs. Early audience reactions suggest that distinction is making a real difference in how the format plays.

One moviegoer who caught an early ScreenX screening in Bengaluru, India, described the horizontally expanded sequences as looking “fantastic,” specifically praising how the cityscape of New York and Spider-Man’s swinging action sequences translated to the panoramic format. The viewer, who said they’d gone in with high expectations as a longtime ScreenX fan, noted the presentation didn’t disappoint.

That reaction touches on a recurring complaint that has followed ScreenX in the past: the side-screen content often looking noticeably blurrier or more artificial than the main picture. According to the same viewer’s account, the side projections in ‘Brand New Day’ looked sharper and more natural than in previous ScreenX presentations, though still intentionally slightly softer than the center screen to mimic peripheral vision.

Critics reviewing the film in the format have echoed similar sentiments. One review noted it took roughly 14 years since ScreenX’s introduction in 2012 for a film to finally be shot natively for the format, crediting director Destin Daniel Cretton’s use of multiple camera rigs on set for allowing wide peripheral angles that captured action sequences, including a tank chase and a fight against a group of assassins, without the visual distortion that has plagued earlier ScreenX presentations.

Not every reaction has been glowing. The same Bengaluru viewer flagged one gripe, noting the overall picture looked noticeably dimmer compared to a standard 3D screening they’d seen elsewhere, though they weren’t certain whether that came down to a projector calibration issue specific to their theater rather than a flaw with the format itself.

CJ 4DPlex CEO Jun Bang has framed the new initiative as a meaningful evolution for the format, describing the goal as expanding the film’s visual canvas while preserving the director’s creative vision. Cretton himself has said the collaboration allowed his team to shoot footage specifically designed for ScreenX auditoriums, rather than relying on digital extensions layered on afterward.

That approach marks a notable departure from how ScreenX has typically operated. Skeptics of the format have long complained that the side-screen content on previous releases amounted to little more than blurry CGI extensions that added minimal value, leaving the extra screens feeling like an afterthought rather than a meaningful enhancement.

‘Brand New Day’s approach appears designed to directly address those criticisms by building the panoramic footage into production itself. ScreenX has been building momentum throughout the year regardless, with titles like ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu,’ ‘Toy Story 5,’ and ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ all performing well in the format, with the Mario sequel delivering the company’s biggest opening weekend ever at $2.7 million.

Whether ScreenX manages to hold onto this momentum beyond ‘Brand New Day’ remains to be seen, especially given the format’s comparatively limited footprint of roughly 140 locations across the United States and Canada.

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