‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Theatrical Re-Release Planned With Unseen Footage

When “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opened on July 31, it became the box office story of the summer, eventually overtaking “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to become the highest-grossing domestic release in history. The studio is planning a theatrical re-release with previously unseen footage, according to Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and TheWrap. The new material will include a scene featuring Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, the Marvel character she played across Netflix’s “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” and “The Defenders.”

Dawson had filmed a sequence as the person caring for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker when he wakes up in the hospital, but it was cut from the theatrical version and replaced with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to heighten the emotional impact, TheWrap reported. The re-release is also expected to include other unspecified footage, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dawson publicly addressed the cut during a fan event in July.

“My character is somewhere in that same universe, and I really love that,” she said at the time. “I hope I get to be Claire again.” No release date has been announced, and details about the rest of the added footage remain under wraps, Variety confirmed.

The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, stars Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, and Jon Bernthal. It has grossed $950.6 million domestically and $2.49 billion worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing film of all time globally, behind “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame.” The re-release arrives as “Brand New Day” sits just shy of becoming the first movie to cross $1 billion at the North American box office.

The studio’s decision follows Disney and Marvel Studios’ successful re-release of “Avengers: Endgame” as “Avengers: Endgame Encore,” which topped the domestic box office last weekend with $26 million and included new footage teasing December’s “Avengers: Doomsday.” That precedent suggests a re-issue with never-before-seen scenes could push “Brand New Day” over the $1 billion domestic milestone, a feat never before accomplished, according to TheWrap. Director Destin Daniel Cretton previously told TheWrap that a longer cut of the film existed during testing, running about 30 minutes longer than the theatrical version, but he still considered the released version his preferred cut.

“We’re just trying to find the best version of the movie, and to me that is the living, breathing part of the movie,” Cretton said.