posted 02-16-2011 03:19 PM                

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When the positive reviews of Justin Bieber Never Say Never began to pour in last week, it probably caught most of us by surprise. And when the movie almost took the box office crown from an Adam Sandler romantic comedy, on Valentine’s weekend no less, the 3D documentary pretty much cemented itself as a must-see for anyone who fancies themselves a pop culture guru.

Paramount must also feel the film is creating a unique buzz among moviegoers because they’re going to try something sort of radical to squeeze a few more dollars out of it. They’re pushing director Jon Chu to cut a new version of Never Say Never to release while the movie is still in theaters. However, there’s no guarantee it’s going to happen. Read more about the logistics and specifics after the break.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chu is currently in Europe promoting the film in London and Paris but will be back in an editing room by this weekend working on the new cut. Paramount hopes to make a decision on re-releasing the film by early next week so that the director’s cut could be in theaters by the film’s third weekend, February 25.

However, the obstacles to such an elaborate stunt are numerous. First, there’s the actual work, which Chu might not even have the time to do. Second, the film would have to be re-submitted to the ratings board. Then, digital prints – not analog, ’cause that would be way too expensive – would have to be struck to be released in 3D theaters. Insiders tell THR that there’s also the possibility, or even probability, of just holding the new cut for the Blu-ray release.

Even if everything ended up working out, this wouldn’t be the first time a movie was recut while it was in theaters, but it’s certainly a rarity. The football film The Program had a controversial scene removed during its run and the Weinstein are considering re-editing The King’s Speech while it is in theaters to get a PG-13 rating, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Do you remember other instances of this kind of thing happening while a film was still during its first run? Do you think Paramount follows through or do they just wait for the home release?

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posted 02-22-2011 07:11 AM                       

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The football film The Program had a controversial scene removed during its run

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posted 02-22-2011 07:59 AM                       

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The original release of the film contained a scene where several ESU players lay on the yellow dividing line of a busy local road as a test of their courage. When two young men were killed, and several others injured, by imitating the stunt, Buena Vista excised the scene from the film. No post-theatrical versions of the movie feature the sequence, leading many to speculate that the studio destroyed the actual camera negatives scene.

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posted 02-26-2011 09:17 PM                    

quote: Brad Miller

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Interestingly the Bieber 2.0 cut is 10 minutes longer, yet the advertising claims "includes 40 minutes of new Bieber footage".

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40 - 30 = 10.