Extended version of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”: is it worth re-release in theaters?

The best Spider-Man movie of all time is back in theaters. At least, according to the box office. Less than a year after its original premiere in December 2021, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ has amassed (for now) nearly two billion dollars: it is the sixth highest-grossing film of all time in the world, the second in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first in the entire history of Sony. On September 30, it returns to many cinemas all over Spain, and this time the question is not to find out if all the Spider-Men will come out, but why go and rediscover it.

The excuse is an extended version titled “The Funniest Version”. However, the appearance is of a strategy to raise more money and have even better numbers than those mentioned above. If so, goal achieved: Tom Holland is once again back at # 1 at the US box office. His third venture as Peter Parker was described in his most negative reviews as a mere marketing strategy by Marvel and Sony. However, the teams on this film and across the MCU have shown efforts to make sense of that marketing so that it emerges from a powerful narrative. So while they knew that just bringing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield back guaranteed these big bucks, they had to do it in the context of a reflection on how to grow up as Spider-Man and what it means to be an everyday hero.

So, does the extended revival decision even make sense or is it pure marketing? Luckily, “Funniest Version” greatly improves on previous bad “Avengers: Endgame” replacement which took place a few months from its premiere to surpass ‘Avatar’. Here everything is well edited and not everything is completely suppressable: the second post-credits scene fits much more into the story than that trailer for ‘Doctor Strange in the multiverse of Madness’ and every second added with the three Spider-Man is pure gold nerd. There they shouldn’t have skimped on the first version!

The biggest incentive and justification for this revival is, honestly, what gives it the title. Unlike that of ‘Avengers: Endgame’, it has a purpose other than the obvious monetary one: fun. Humor characterizes almost all the additions and greatly enhances the comic tone of the entire first act of the film., now closer to “Spider-Man: Homecoming”. That’s why it was best released now and not sooner, since it would desperately prolong the arrival of the hype (Strange, Spider-men) and obscure the dark, mature tone that defines this coming-of-age story. The room will laugh a lot in the first part. In the second, almost everything will remain the same.

The content is therefore worth seeing, but in theaters? Daring to call itself an “extended version”, it can be compared to “The Lord of the Rings”, where clearly those entire sequences provide a great context. In this case, rather they are good deleted scenes that could perfectly be an extra to the physical format. Yes, they are providing good new material, but it shouldn’t be disguised as an extended version.

“Avatar” didn’t need any additions last year to regain its edge over “Avengers: Endgame”. It was simply a revival to use like the one that will be repeated on September 30th before its sequel in December. ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is also one of those profound films that endure a second viewing in theaters (or a third, if you did it again at the time as a beautiful marvel). Even without all of these additions, the details are still appreciated. And also it is a good opportunity to enjoy the film beyond the hype and the event, like a good comedy that this funnier version reminded us that it can be.

Nevertheless, even if they didn’t exploit it this time, this new version could have benefited from what made the first such a success: the social event. There was hardly any promotion; in fact, it wasn’t even a simultaneous world premiere and on Twitter you may already be reading and seeing the additions for weeks. How much ticket booking would have increased if Zendaya had given an interview like Michelle Rodriguez and Stephen Lang did. Instead of a corseted skype before the movie, they could have taken advantage of Tobey and Andrew’s interviews they couldn’t do at the time at due to spoilers and that would have given a lot to talk about in the face of this revival. Now, they will be relegated to the promotion of the DVD, too covered up compared to how they should have been.

We are not going to describe the rest of the additions during the movie to maintain that slight surprise and curiosity that can lead to the theaters, although in the end, with prior notice, we will briefly review the contents. In total, 11 minutes are counted which increase the duration over two and a half hours. These are not lazy additions at the end, but scenes that are well inserted and put together as a whole. They had to open the montage file; or maybe, just like the meme, they’d already thought and done it. Beyond its birth as a marketing, in synthesis of its contents, the good humor of almost everyone stands out, a surprising expansion of a beloved character and, the best: a first preview of the consequences of that traumatic ending.

conclusion: the content is worth it, but not to re-release it in theaters as an extended version.

SPOILER attention!

* The exact added scenes from “Spider-Man: No Way Home – The Funniest Version” are revealed below

– Very short video call between Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield before departure.

-At the police station, gags with Peter and May arrested.

-In Strange’s shed, Ned, MJ and Peter clean up.

-In the elevator, May and Peter with the 4 bad guys.

At the same time, in Happy’s trial, Matt Murdock defends him.

-In the laboratory, the three Peter Parkers work together.

-At the Statue of Liberty, the three Spider-Man have a comic dialogue.

– Post-credits scene that revisits all the past events of the films and the current events of the life of the institute as if Peter never existed.