Tom Holland has had a bit of a rough time outside of his Marvel exploits. In 2022 Holland announced that he’d be taking a well-earned break which will likely do the actor some good considering his career choices of late. Alongside his role as the wall-crawler Spider-Man, the British actor led a disappointing adaptation of the “Uncharted” video game and the bloated mess of a film that was the Russo brothers’ “Cherry.” Then there was Doug Liman’s “Chaos Walking” that saw Holland trapped in a decidedly grim and shockingly late attempt to cash in on the YA dystopian craze. Even Apple TV, which has been churning out a stream of great streaming series in recent years, couldn’t help Holland, who’s “The Crowded Room” was met with negative reviews.
But when you’re this generation’s Spider-Man it will take a lot more than a few duds to end your career. Holland is now gearing up for a triumphant return that will see him front what will surely be two of the biggest movies of 2026. Holland’s “Spider-Man 4” will face an unexpected box office battle when it goes up against the actor’s other biggest upcoming role in Christopher Nolan’s next blockbuster. That should ensure that 2026 becomes the summer of Tom Holland, as Nolan’s retelling of a Greek Epic looks set to be the biggest cinematic event of that year, followed closely by the next Spidey outing.
Meanwhile, it seems Holland harbors a deep love for yet another blockbuster franchise. While he hasn’t yet managed to work his way into this particular saga, that saga itself is responsible for what is the actor’s favorite movie of all time.
Tom Holland’s favorite movie of all time is a relatively recent sci-fi
Asked by Men’s Health what his favorite movie is, Tom Holland revealed that it’s James Cameron’s box office juggernaut of a sci-fi epic “Avatar.” With a $2.9 billion box office take, the 2009 film remains the highest-grossing movie of all time, with Holland’s own “Spider-Man: No Way Home” coming relatively close with a $1.9 billion gross. Still, it seems Holland is more than happy to be outdone by Cameron’s CGI-fest, telling Men’s Health, “I take no shame in saying ‘Avatar.‘”
Why would there be any shame to take? Perhaps because “Avatar” is relatively new? Or maybe Holland feels he should have some sort of independent arthouse effort at the top of his list? Either way, there’s no shame whatsoever in anyone having a personal favorite film. Unfortunately, Holland didn’t elaborate on why Cameron’s movie remains his all-time favorite film, though “Avatar” would have arrived when the actor was just 13 so therefore likely represented one of his formative cinematic experiences.
Interestingly enough, Holland did manage to outdo his favorite movie at the domestic box office, with “No Way Home” passing “Avatar” as the third highest-grossing movie in the U.S. after taking $814,866,759 to Cameron’s $785,221,649.
A Tom Holland Avatar role is probably too much to ask
James Cameron is currently gearing up to introduce the creepy fire Na’vi clan in “Avatar: Fire & Ash.” Set for a December 2025 release, the movie will also be followed by a fourth installment, and since Cameron has filmed both movies already, it seems unlikely that Tom Holland will be showing up on Pandora any time soon — unless he filmed a secret cameo. That’s sort of a shame in a way, considering the actor is in a kind of re-calibration mode following his non-Spidey career moves. Bolstering his Christopher Nolan and “Spider-Man 4” projects with some “Avatar” action would surely go a long way to proving the man can do a lot more than play the web slinger.
That said, I’d rather see Holland try his hand at drama again. Just because “Cherry” and “The Crowded Room” didn’t work out, doesn’t mean he should give up, especially since his performance in star-studded Southern Gothic “The Devil All The Time” was a decent showing from the Brit. What’s more, while “Avatar” is impressive, there are arguably much more exciting projects that are on the true frontier of filmmaking and seeing Holland embrace some of the new generation of filmmakers would arguably be much more exciting than seeing him given the Na’vi treatment.