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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Getting a Re-Release With New Footage
Quentin Tarantino's box office hit Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is getting re-released in theaters with additional footage, Sony announced today. This comes on the heels of the news that the film's China release has been cancelled due to complaints over its depiction of Bruce Lee (played by Mike Moh in the film).
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows television star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they try to work in a rapidly changing Hollywood during the tumultuous summer of 1969. It also stars Margot Robbie as doomed actress Sharon Tate. The film was a big win for original films when it debuted to $41.08 million in July. It's since reached $139.8 million domestically and $368.4 million worldwide, making this Tarantino's second-highest grossing film.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's re-release will be shown in 1,000+ theaters in the United States and Canada starting this Friday, October 25.The new footage included in the re-release is said to be four additional scenes that'll bookend the film and amount to about ten minutes in length. This will increase the already lengthy runtime to just under three hours. Sony's President of Domestic Distribution, Adrian Smith, said in a statement, "Audiences have shown tremendous support for this movie, and we look forward to offering them another opportunity to see the film as it’s meant to be seen – in theaters on the big screen – with more sights and sounds of the sixties from Quentin Tarantino as an added treat."
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood resonated with both critics and audiences, scoring an 85% critics score and a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It's weathered some controversies, mainly surrounding Bruce Lee's portrayal and the treatment of its female characters. Despite that, many are expecting the film to be included in this year's awards season, with some calling for Pitt to be nominated for his performance.
Re-releases of blockbuster films with brand new footage intended to draw audiences back in is a common occurrence these days. Just this year, Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home dipped back into theaters several weeks after their initial release. It's a clever strategy to earn a film a bit more money, as long as fans think spending the money is worth it. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood is already considered a financial success and one that was sorely needed. Sequels and brand names have dominated the box office this year, signalling a decrease in interest in original ideas. The only other original film to rank higher than Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on the box office chart is Jordan Peele's Us. It says a lot about Tarantino's brand that he was able to find success in an area where others are struggling, and fans will no doubt be interested in the new footage being added to the film.
