Tom Holland and Zendaya starrer Spider-Man: Brand New Day has landed into major controversy just days before its worldwide premiere.
On Wednesday, July 8, the official Instagram handle of the Spider-Man franchise posted a new promotional teaser, which marked a major collaboration between Spider-Man: Brand New Day and football star Lionel Messi.
The promotional teaser is primarily a marketing and promotional collaboration that aims to reach wider audience to expand the movie’s global reach, generate social media buzz, boost anticipation before release, and promote the film internationally.
In the ad, Tom Holland and Messi share a lighthearted interaction, with the football legend appearing as himself while Spider-Man welcomes him. It concludes with the two promoting the upcoming installment of the movie.
However, instead of impressing fans, the teaser sparked massive backlash against the movie, prompting fans to call for boycott over Messi tie-up.
Fans’ comments
Commenting on the promotional teaser on Instagram, one of the fans wrote, “Not too late to take this down.”
“Spiderman you're my favorite hero. Don't let me hate you because of a goat,” another stated.
“Don't force us not to watch the movie,” slammed a third.
A fourth added, “Boycott the film.”
Why Messi’s collaboration sparked outrage among fans?
The collaboration sparked backlash because of Lionel Messi’s recent controversy involving Egypt coach Hossam Hassan.
Following Argentina’s controversial World Cup win over Egypt, Hassan accused officials of favoring Messi and claimed FIFA wanted to keep the football icon in the tournament for commercial reasons, resulting in a heated argument between the footballer and coach.
After the argument, Hassan crossed his arms to make an “X” gesture toward the officials, reporting racial abuse and triggering anti-discrimination protocols, which led to massive backlash against Messi.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day release date:
Tom Holland and Zendaya starrer Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to release on July 31, 2026.
