Spider-Man Boycott Calls Test Arab Cinema Markets

Pro-Palestinian campaigners in Lebanon, Jordan and across the Arab world are pressing audiences to stay away from “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” directing their opposition at producer Avi Arad rather than the film itself.

The calls, which have been amplified by activists and content creators, mark one of the clearest tests yet of whether the cultural boycott movement can dent opening-weekend business for a major Western blockbuster.

Lebanon’s Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel urged the public not to purchase tickets, framing ticket sales as “cultural normalization” of Israel.

In a social media statement ahead of the film’s release, the group asked: “Do we want to support a production involving individuals who have publicly expressed political support for Israel?”

It called on supporters to avoid paid screenings and said its position reflected opposition to normalizing Israel or its policies.

Calls Spread Beyond Lebanon

Jordan’s Taharrak anti-normalization group issued a separate statement calling for the film to be boycotted and pulled from Jordanian cinema schedules.

Taharrak also asked the Jordanian Artists Syndicate, cinema operators and other relevant bodies to take a position against its screening.

The calls have since been amplified by activists and content creators in other Arab countries, broadening the geographic reach of the campaign.

The campaign is narrowly focused on Arad, one of four credited producers on the film alongside Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor.

Stars, director Destin Daniel Cretton, and the plot of “Brand New Day” — released internationally on July 31 and starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker — are not the target.

Avi Arad in the Crosshairs

Arad, a former Marvel Studios chief who holds Israeli and U.S. citizenship, served in the Israeli military from 1965 to 1968, including during the 1967 Six-Day War.

Campaigners cite that record alongside a 2024 letter he published in TheWrap, in which he rebuked then-U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer after Schumer described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an obstacle to peace and called for new elections in Israel.

“It’s not your war. It is not your country. And it is not you who is at risk,” Arad wrote, arguing that Schumer had no right to influence Israel’s electoral process.

He described himself as a proud former member of the Israeli military and rejected calls for a ceasefire.

Campaigners say those statements demonstrate support for Israel’s conduct during the war in Gaza and argue that ticket purchases funnel money to a production associated with him.

Box Office Impact Still Unknown

Whether the campaign has moved the needle at the multiplex is not yet clear.

A representative of Lebanon’s Grand Cinemas chain told L’Orient Today shortly after the film’s release that demand remained high and that screenings continued despite the boycott call — an early indication that at least some Arab exhibitors are not bracing for empty seats.

The film’s regional performance over the coming weeks will offer the first real measure of whether a single producer’s political profile can become a meaningful commercial liability for a Marvel tentpole.

Sources

• Middleeastmonitor