Sony Pictures is preparing a theatrical re-release of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” with previously unseen footage, giving the year’s biggest hit another run in cinemas. Variety confirmed the plan. The studio has set no release date and has not said what the new scenes contain. Sony declined to comment.
The film opened July 31 and has dominated the box office since. It has earned $2.49 billion worldwide, third on the all-time list behind “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame,” and topped $950 million in North America. On September 16 it overtook “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the highest-grossing domestic release ever. It sits just short of $1 billion in the United States and Canada, a mark no film has reached, and a re-release could carry it over that line.
Deadline reported that the extra material includes, but is not limited to, a scene featuring Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, the nurse she played in Marvel’s Netflix series. Dawson said last month that she shot a scene for the film that never reached the final cut, and she voiced hope of playing the character again. The scene reportedly showed her caring for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in a hospital, and the filmmakers replaced her with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to sharpen the emotional payoff. Sources told Deadline that other surprises are planned.
The timing follows a proven formula. Disney’s “Avengers: Endgame Encore” opened over the weekend and earned $86 million worldwide, with $26 million from North America. Ticket buyers for the premium format received six minutes and 17 seconds of footage from “Avengers: Doomsday,” due in December. Sony now faces the question of whether extra scenes can draw viewers back a third or fourth time.
Some fans are not convinced. One commenter on Deadline’s report compared the tactic to Marvel publishing multiple versions of a comic with different closing pages. Another said he had seen the film twice and would skip the new cut.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film follows Peter Parker as he rebuilds his life after a spell erased everyone’s memory of him. Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Mark Ruffalo and Florence Pugh also appear.
