'Spider-Man 3' Editor's Cut Debuted On Amazon This Weekend, But Was Immediately Yanked

Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 debuted ten years ago this month, and though the movie pulled in $890 million worldwide (more than $100 million more than its predecessor), it was largely seen as a misstep in the franchise by fans and critics. Since then, the maligned sequel has experienced a bit of a critical reappraisal and now seems as close to cult status as a mainstream film with a $258 million budget can be.

Over the weekend, a new "Editor's Cut" of the 2007 sequel made its way online over at Amazon, only to be unceremoniously pulled from the digital shelves because it debuted too soon. Below, read all about the Spider-Man 3 editor's cut and when you'll have the opportunity to see it again.

Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy is getting a limited edition Blu-ray re-release in a couple of weeks, and thanks to Amazon's gaff, now we know that a Spider-Man 3 editor's cut is part of the package. But comic book movie fandom is quick on the draw, and in the short window the new cut was available, a handful of people downloaded or rented it and are more than willing to talk about the differences between this and the theatrical cut. (To answer your biggest question: yes, Emo Peter remains intact.)

The new version of the film is actually shorter than the one that played in theaters. It's no secret that Raimi himself isn't a huge fan of the film, so it's not too surprising that he and his team would want to get in there and trim away some things to minimize the damage. io9 has a good breakdown of some of the biggest changes:

The scene of Aunt May in Peter's apartment giving back his engagement ring has been cut entirely, as has the entirely bizarre scene where Peter apologizes to his landlord while trying to call MJ. Tragically, the moment Willem Dafoe yells "FIRST, WE ATTACK HIS HEART!" from beyond the grave at James Franco's Harry Osborn is also left on the cutting floor. Added in the new version of the film includes shots from early trailers of Peter wearing the symbiote suit in the broad daylight as he flew through the streets of New York, as well as a full restoration of Christopher Young's score as the soundtrack for the film, meaning several scenes now have new music attached.

You can read the full list of differences at the fan forums over at Blu-ray.com. I haven't seen this movie since it came out a decade ago, but I have to imagine that even the theatrical cut plays better than most the subpar superhero cinema that's come out over the past few years. I look forward to revisiting the trilogy soon, and this new edition sounds like the perfect opportunity to dive back in.

The limited edition Blu-ray collection of the Spider-Man trilogy will be available on June 13, 2017.