Every Spider-Man Movie Is Returning To Theaters To Help Save The Box Office (And Sony)
After weeks of rumors, Sony Pictures has confirmed that all eight live-action "Spider-Man" movies are indeed returning to theaters beginning next month. Each film in the franchise, beginning with Sam Raimi's original 2002 superhero classic, will be given a week-long run in theaters from Monday to Sunday. It remains to be seen how much general audiences will be interested in revisiting these movies on the big screen, but even on the low end, this could be just what theaters need right now. It also could help Sony make up some box office revenue they were expecting from a certain other live-action Marvel project that fell well short of expectations.
Dubbed "Spider-Mondays," Sony is releasing the movies in theaters again to honor the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures this year. The superhero flicks will arrive in the order they were originally released which means fans can look forward to "Spider-Man" (April 15), "Spider-Man 2" (April 22), "Spider-Man 3" (April 29), "The Amazing Spider-Man" (May 6), "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (May 13), "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (May 20), "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (May 27), and last but not least, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (June 3).
Such re-releases can be hit-or-miss prospects. The "No Way Home" re-release in 2022 grossed just shy of $10 million worldwide. Granted, that was only mere months after the film ended its $1.9 billion, record-breaking run at the box office. On the flip side, 2022's re-release of the original "Avatar" pulled in a stellar $76 million. So the right movie at the right time can definitely draw a crowd. And given that we're dealing with a $9 billion franchise here, the potential audience is sizable.
Can these Spider-Man re-releases make up for the sins of Madame Web?
Let's say, on average, these movies pull in $10 million. That would mean Sony would provide an $80 million boost to the box office at a time when theaters could desperately use it. Even with the help of "Dune: Part Two" and "Kung Fu Panda 4," 2024 domestic ticket sales are still down nearly 10% compared to this same point last year. For Sony, it's essentially free money. Yes, they are going to spend a little bit on a marketing campaign, but it's a drop in the bucket. Anything they collect will pretty much automatically be profit. There's no good reason not to do this. Sony has nothing to lose, theaters stand to gain, and everyone wins.
The upside potential here could be big. Raimi's "Spider-Man" movies (particularly the first two) are beloved classics at this point, and many fans haven't ever had the chance to see them on the big screen. Granted, it's tough to imagine a ton of people showing up for more infamous movies like "Spider-Man 3" or "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," but the hits far outweigh the misses here. Even at a time when superhero movies are faltering at the box office, these beloved classics could do the trick.
Speaking of superhero fatigue, Sony's "Madame Web" faltered badly at the box office, earning just $97 million globally to date. That's even less than "Morbius." So, looking at this another way, the whole endeavor could help Sony make up some lost revenue they expected to pull in with their failed "Spider-Man" spin-off. It's Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland to the rescue.
It all kicks off when Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" hits theaters on April 15, 2024.