If you want to see Spider-Man 3 before anyone else, you better book a plane ticket to Japan.
The third film in the series will open in Japan on May 1st, three days before it opens in the United States. This is a very strange move for Sony Pictures, who have also announced that the film’s grand premiere will be held in Tokyo on April 16th. W
The first Spider-Man movie had an eight day lead time over Japan. And Spider-Man 2 premiered ten days earlier in the United States.
Why would Sony open such a big movie overseas first? May-be this announcement is the first of a worldwide date change? It would make more sense to open the film on a Wednesday. Am I wrong?
March 5th, 2007 at 1:12 am
Hopefully you’re right and Spider-Man 3 will get an earlier-than-expected release. Makes sense from an anti-piracy perspective. If I recall correctly, when Warner Brothers released The Matrix Reloaded simultaneously across the world, it was to limit the damage piracy could and would cause if TMR were released at different times. Maybe that’s the thinking here and we’ll soon here of a date change.
March 6th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Re: Speculation on the that this heralds a pending shift (forward) in its American release… I don’t think so — this is simply a smart marketing move by, after all, a Japanese corporation — Sony — tailored specifically to the Japanese public and box office and, after all, they oughta know whether it will work there. (Tuesday openings are pretty rare here in the States, but, in Japan, May 3-5 are a series of three consecutive holidays: Constitution Day is May 3rd, Greenery Day is May 4th, and Children’s Day is May 5th.) Pushing Spider-Man 3 forward from its previously scheduled Japanese release date, May 5th, to May Day allows a couple days of word-of-mouth to percolate before the ginormous Golden Week (as it’s known there) gets well underway.
Besides, Spider-Man 3 isn’t only opening “early” in Japan. Fact is, most of the developed world is getting the film ahead of the U.S., underscoring the fact that, despite the franchise’s overt American symbolism and imagery, this is truly a GLOBAL film property: Belgium, France, the Philippines, Taiwan and Egypt are all getting it May 2nd, it’s going into Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Israel, Greece, the Netherlands, Germany and Russia on May 3rd, and most of the rest of Europe gets Spider-Man 3 May 4th, along with us. We beat out Mainland China by a day, though, and America gets to open up a can of whup-ass on the Macedonian Republic — the southwestern Balkans have to wait until May 10th. USA! USA! USA!
I’m actually pretty surprised Sony isn’t tossing Spidey into theaters in Japan on, or even just before, April 29th; that’s also a national holiday, Emperor Showa’s birthday, and is generally considered the traditional beginning to Golden Week. But, then again, I think 300 ought to have opened this evening at midnight. [Shrug]
I remain, as always…
Nico.
http://www.fantasymoguls.com
March 28th, 2007 at 8:50 am
This deal with Spider-man 3 coming out in Tokyo, japan three days before the United States release is fine Asians my Asian people want to see spidey before the film opens to the American public. I think I will wait until it opens her in the U.S. that is just a waist of time and money flying to the far east to see The Wall Crawler. I’m not obsessed with this movie come on people it is just a movie.
Kevin, say’s I love my actors and actresses they all have inspired me to professionally act one day I will pursue that career eventually!!!. working with Tobey Maguire and kirsten dunst will be a dream come true!!!
Kirsten I love you Baby!!! Kevin