Sony announces new release date for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse – and it's a move that's baffled me

A screenshot of a demasked Miles Morales in his ripped superhero suit in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
The final film in Sony's animated Spider-Man trilogy will arrive a week earlier than expected (Image credit: Sony Pictures)

  • Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse has another new release date
  • It'll come out a week earlier than anticipated
  • The superhero movie will go up against two other animated flicks in June 2027

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has landed another new release date – and, while it's coming out earlier than anticipated, it's not all good news for the animated film.

Per Deadline, the final entry in the Miles Morales-starring movie trilogy is now due out on June 18, 2027. That's two weeks later than Beyond the Spider-Verse's initial release date of June 4, 2027, which was announced at CinemaCon in late April. However, in July, the animated flick was pushed back to June 25, 2027, with The Hollywood Reporter claiming the decision was made because this date was seen as more appealing to international audiences.

Of course, that's great news for those of us wanting to see this Sony and Marvel venture as soon as possible. Nonetheless, it's odd that its release date has been moved up if, as THR suggests, the two studios originally thought a later launch was more favorable for Spider-Man's global fanbase.

A screenshot of Disney Pixar movie Gatto, showing a black cat walking near a pier

Pixar's next animated movie will hit theaters on the same day as Beyond the Spider-Verse (Image credit: Disney Pixar)

That's not the only baflfing thing about Beyond the Spider-Verse's revised theatrical release. It's now set to go head-to-head with another potentially big animated movie in Pixar's Gatto, which is also slated to arrive on June 4, 2027.

Admittedly, Pixar isn't the reliable money-making powerhouse it used to be. The Disney-owned animation studio's recent theatrical releases have been received positively by fans and critics alike but, Inside Out 2 aside, they've struggled to turn those glowing reviews into sizable box office returns. 2022's Lightyear crashed and burned to the tune of just $226.4 million, while 2023's Elemental ($496.4 million) and this year's Elio ($154 million) also failed to hit the heights of other Pixar flicks.

Based on those numbers, Beyond the Spider-Verse should win the battle against Gatto, right? Most likely, yes – after all, its predecessors grossed over $1 billion between them so, unless Gatto earns an Inside Out 2 amount of money, it'll be beaten by its animated peer.

Fiona, Donkey, Shrek, and Felicia staring at Pinocchio's long nose in Shrek 5

The fifth Shrek film will arrive less than two weeks after Gatto and Beyond the Spider-Verse (Image credit: Universal Pictures)

That doesn't put Beyond the Spider-Verse in the clear, mind you. Indeed, just 12 days after it swings into theaters, Universal's highly-anticipated return to the swamp in the form of Shrek 5 hits big screens worldwide.

With Gatto, Beyond the Spider-Verse, and Shrek 5 all positioned as family-friendly flicks, parents will have a tough time deciding which animated adventure to take their kids to. Cinema ticket prices have been steadily rising for years now, so many families simply won't have the funds to view all three movies on the silver screen. What does that mean Beyond the Spider-Verse's box office takings? Reduced sales and a smaller profit if families opt to see Shrek 5 instead.

The big question now is: who out of Sony, Disney Pixar, and Universal will blink first and move their animated offering out of the line of fire? With Disney and Universal set to deliver their next financial earnings reports and updated 2026/2027 release schedules before the year ends, it shouldn't be too long until we find out.

In the meantime, remind yourself what happened in the last Miles Moraled-led animated story via my Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ending explained piece. Alternatively, read the section below for more Spider-Man and Marvel-based coverage.

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Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.


An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.


Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.

Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

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