To the shock of two (possibly three) people, Spider Man reboot to go 3D.

Yes, yes, Spider-Man 2.0 (or whatever it's going to be called) will be coming to 3D.  I can't say anyone didn't see that coming, but I suppose Sony confirming it is slightly newsworthy.  Frankly by the time The Amazing Spider-Man (or whatever it's going to be called) comes out, few will care about the novelty factor of 3D anymore.  More noteworthy is that Sony has picked a release date, Tuesday July 3rd, 2012.  Sony has made an early play for a piece of prime real-estate.  Opening on the same day as the first Transformers, Spidey's Tuesday release (with likely Monday-night advance showings) will allow the Marc Webb reboot to play out over a full week of Independence Day holiday-infused weekdays.  Ironically, the July 3rd date puts it smack dab in the line of fire from the summer's most anticipated pure sequel, Star Trek 2: Attack of the Klingons (or whatever it's going to be called).  Can I just say that I'm amused by the fact that two of the major films of summer 2012 have selected release dates before they've even selected titles?   

Of the slots available even at this early date, it was the best possible choice.  Summer kick-off was out of the question, as Marvel/Paramount is opening The Avengers on May 4th.  And last summer's Star Trek aside, the 'second film of summer' release date is usually box office poison (Poseidon, Speed Racer) for anything that isn't a small-budget non-tentpole (The Horse Whisperer, A Knight's Tale, Daddy Daycare, Monster In-Law, etc).  Memorial Day is already being occupied by Peter Berg's Battleship and Madagascar 3.  And, without even a film to claim the spot yet, Warner Bros. will be darn sure to have something to occupy their golden mid-July weekend.  If it can be accomplished, expect Warner Bros to announce the release of Nolan's third Batman film on July 20th, 2012 (which would in turn allow them to open their new Superman picture on July 19th, 2013).  So for Sony, it was either take a chance on a mid-June release date (which, oddly enough, used to be THE place to open when I was growing up), or claim July 4th and dare Star Trek 2 to move to mid-June (which it might do at this point). 

Considering how congested summer 2011 is, don't be surprised to see some summer entries moved to the holiday season, which would cause some holiday 2011 releases to move into summer 2012.  Cars 2 has already vacated its June 24th release date and will now open in December of 2011.  In just the last month or so, it's been 'bye-bye' Spider-Man 4 and Cars 2, but 'hello' Mission: Impossible IV and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Stranger Tides (and expect Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom to vacate its June 3rd slot so as to not compete with MI4) .  Maybe it's just me, but I do enjoy these constant games of musical chairs.

Scott Mendelson  

SPIDER-MAN SWINGS INTO THEATERS IN 3D ON JULY 3, 2012
CULVER CITY, Calif., February 10, 2010 – Spider-Man will swing into theaters worldwide in 3D beginning July 3, 2012, it was announced today by Jeff Blake, Chairman of Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing & Distribution. The new film which is still untitled, will begin production later this year directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.
Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, “Spider-Man is the ultimate summer movie-going experience, and we’re thrilled the filmmakers are presenting the next installment in 3D. Spider-Man is one of the most popular characters in the world, and we know audiences are eager and excited to discover Marc’s fantastic vision for Peter Parker and the franchise.”