"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" is Getting a Rerelease This Weekend... With 4 New Scenes!

Scene from Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

While this past summer may have not had a lot in the way of standout entertainment, it did have one shining star: a new Quentin Tarantino movie. Love it or hate it, the film sparked a conversation that was sorely missing. Not only was it praised for becoming one of the rare original adult stories of 2019 to gross over $100 million at the box office, an honor that wasn't really matched until September's Hustlers. Still, there was talk from the get-go of potential Oscar chances for everyone from Tarantino to actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt (who has also gained acclaim for Ad Astra), and Margot Robbie (who has also gained acclaim for Bombshell). So, how does a film wanting to stay in the race try and stay relevant? While the film hasn't entirely left theaters, this weekend finds a revival of sorts with a new extended cut that you can see nationwide. 

In the past decade, Tarantino has fallen in love with the strange desire to do extended or alternate cuts of his movies. The most noteworthy example of this came in 2011 with Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, which found the director combining both parts in his Kill Bill series into one continual film. While it hasn't been released for home audiences, it remains a piece of lore that informs his other movies. Before that, he took his Grindhouse segment Death Proof and turned the 90-minute joyride into a standalone two-hour feature. With The Hateful Eight, he took it to another level by having an extended "Roadshow" cut and later a famous "miniseries" cut that currently resides on Netflix. Whatever the case may be, his films have begun to change and morph with whatever form he feels is necessary.

There have already been suggestions that Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is capable of getting similar treatment to The Hateful Eight's "miniseries" cut. However, that's going to have to wait. As far as Tarantino's concerned, it's going to be a while before the film even makes its way to home video. Right now he's planning to do something extra special and release an extended edition into theaters. While the film was already two hours and forty-one minutes, there is talk that there's even more. Four scenes adding 10 minutes total to be exact. 

Here's a note from the press release:

“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."

These scenes are reported to bookend the entire film, though it's unclear at the moment what exactly these scenes will entail. Still, for those who have checked Fandango with every new release, one thing will be clear: there's a handful of theaters that never let the original cut go. There has been ongoing support that is clear in how much the film remains in conversation. Even the fact that Tarantino refusing to cut the film for Chinese release due to a problematic Brue Lee depiction has kept the film alive. Many believe that Pitt and DiCaprio are capable of landing Oscar nominations, possibly even wins. 

Which all makes sense as far as launching an Oscar campaign after a few stagnant months. As far as 2019 films go, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood felt like the first film to court Oscar conversation and take it seriously. No film, save for Joker and Hustlers, has really matched the fervor. Still, the extended cut feels like an odd gimmick even for Tarantino though, not one that's totally out of lines with recent trends. This past summer saw Marvel do it not once but twice. The first time it was for Avengers: Endgame, where deleted scenes were added whether as a way to say thanks to fans or to embrace their capitalist roots and be the top-grossing movie of all time. Spider-Man: Far From Home followed a similar trend a few months later, suggesting that this trend is going to start picking up. The only difference is that Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood doesn't feel like it's doing it for box office boosts, but more to keep the film in the public's consciousness.

That's not a terrible way to go, especially with Tarantino's love of watching cinema in a cineplex. Considering that most movies annually do special screenings and rereleases to raise interest in their film, it's not all that shocking that they would pull this stunt. While those who love the film have likely already seen it a few times anyway, the decision to release it this week definitely serves as another unfortunate commentary that there's not a lot out there for Oscar competition (though The Lighthouse and Parasite are supposed to be great) and it stands a shot of standing out. Now the question stands as to whether it will pay off. Knowing Tarantino's record, he's going to get some Oscar traction, though who knows how far it will get him. This seems like a good chance to revisit one of the most buzzed-about films of the year once again if just to show how sparse the competition since has been.