The pirate copy of Spider-Man: Brand New Day reached 5.9 million people on X
While Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened with box office records, the film's pirate copy spread to millions of users on X.
According to a report by Variety, the recording was shared by an account named Fredrick Bryan at 6:05 AM on July 31. The post remained accessible for about nine hours; by the time it was removed, it had reached 5.9 million accounts, garnered over 143,000 likes, and accumulated 10,000 shares.
Sony Pictures has not commented on the leak.
The removal did not stop the spread
The initial post was taken down around 3:25 PM, but other copies of the film continued to be uploaded from different accounts. Although most of these were quickly taken down, the recording had already surpassed a stage that could be controlled through a single share.
In such cases, studios request the removal of content by sending copyright infringement notices to platforms. X also states in its official policy that it responds to complaints made under DMCA and may suspend accounts for repeated violations. However, the system is not preventive; it largely comes into play after a notification is received.
In the case of Spider-Man, reaching millions of users before the removal illustrates how even a few hours of delay can create a massive distribution network for films.
Second major film in a week
Brand New Day is not the first high-profile film to spread on X in recent days. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey was also uploaded to the platform with a high-quality pirate recording just a week ago, reaching 2.1 million views in only two and a half hours. The post was later removed, and the account that shared it was suspended.
The short time between the two incidents separates the events from a one-time security breach. The circulation of pirate copies of Hollywood's two biggest summer films on a social network used daily by millions of users, rather than classic file-sharing sites, poses a different threat for studios.
The ability for users to watch the film directly within the post, without needing to search for pirate sites or click on external links, significantly increases the speed of spread.
X's long video feature makes it easier for pirates
X Premium subscribers can upload up to four hours of 1080p video through the website and iOS app. The file limit goes up to 16 GB. This technical capacity allows a feature-length film to be uploaded directly to the platform without being split into parts.
Although the feature was primarily offered for long programs, podcasts, and independent video content, recent leaks have shown that the same infrastructure can also be used for distributing pirate films.
X's algorithmic flow works differently from classic pirate sites. A recording that users are not searching for can quickly come to the forefront through shares, likes, and recommended posts. Thus, the platform becomes not only the place where the file is hosted but also a distribution and promotion channel.
A different issue from trailer leaks
Spider-Man: Brand New Day had previously made headlines with set images, trailer snippets, and story-related spoiler leaks during its production and promotional process. The recent incident should be considered separately from these.
The shared content was not a promotional image, a shooting video, or a short scene from the film; it was a watchable pirate recording of the film currently in theaters. The magnitude of the problem arises not from the content spoiling surprises but from the fact that a film sold with tickets is being made available to millions for free.
It is impossible to calculate how much the leak affected Brand New Day's box office with the current data. However, the Spider-Man and The Odyssey cases have opened a new battleground for studios. Pirate copies are now circulating not only on the dark file-sharing sites of the internet but also within the social network that Hollywood heavily uses to market its own films.
