Sony moves Spider-Man to Fourth of July week
By Sean Penney
The fallout from the news that Disney was pushing back the release date for Star Wars Episode VIII has shaken up the slate of 2017 blockbusters, landing Sony’s Spider-Man reboot in the desirable Fourth of July slot.
Sony announced earlier today that the untitled Spidey solo film has been moved up three weeks to release on July 7, 2017. With Star Wars moving to December of next year, Disney was able to push Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales into the vacated May 26 slot, paving the way for Spider-Man to leap into a more desirable spot. With many people planning their vacation time around the holiday, the week that the Fourth of July falls has traditionally been one of the busiest times of the year for movie theaters.
An Independence Day weekend debut didn’t help the fortunes of The Amazing Spider-Man, which was Sony’s last failed attempt to reboot the franchise in 2012, but there is more reason for optimism this time around. The Jon Watts directed film will be Sony’s third different take on the character, but the first made in conjunction with Disney, allowing our favorite web-slinger to be incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Tom Holland is expected to debut the character in Captain America: Civil War this May, which means we can expect his version of Peter Parker to have already made the transition to super hero, saving us from yet another origin story. The 19-year old Holland is much younger than the actors that previously portrayed the character, allowing him to be incorporated into the long-term future of the MCU.
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You have to wonder if Disney would have made the decision to open up the coveted early July slot, allowing Spider-Man to steal it, if it weren’t for their involvement in the film. If the next solo Spider-Man movie ends up getting a boost at the Box Office, perhaps it will serve as another example of how their partnership with Disney can help ensure the third time is a charm for the Spidey franchise.