Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman confirms Spider-Man: Brand New Day won’t feature the Statue of Liberty, following the previous film being rejected by China for using Lady Liberty.
Rothman says Spider-Man: No Way Home should have crossed $2 billion worldwide, and he blames Communist China for blocking the film’s release and preventing it from hitting that mark.
Speaking on The Town with Matt Belloni on YouTube, Rothman said the third Spider-Man movie made $1.9 billion globally, but didn’t receive a China release.
According to Rothman, Chinese officials told Sony they could secure distribution if they simply removed the Statue of Liberty from the film.
There was just one problem: the Statue of Liberty is the entire climax of the movie, and Marvel also used it to pay tribute to Captain America.
China Wanted The Statue Of Liberty Removed
Rothman explained that Chinese regulators said, “No problem. Just cut out the Statue of Liberty.”
That sequence makes up roughly the final 20 minutes of the film, including the battle between the three Spider-Men and the villains.
Matt Belloni pointed out the obvious, which would have meant cutting the ending. Rothman agreed and added that it was another reason he refused.
Rotham also added that he couldn’t imagine sitting in front of Congress explaining why he removed the Statue of Liberty at the request of the Chinese Communist Party.
Instead of making the edits, Sony walked away from the China release. Rothman insists that without that restriction, No Way Home would have easily cleared the $2 billion mark.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Drops Lady Liberty
That brings us to the next Spider-Man movie out this summer, weeks after the Fourth of July, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
During the same interview, Belloni joked that he predicts the new film won’t feature the Statue of Liberty at all.
Rothman laughed and replied that’s true — and called it a “total coincidence.”
China’s Influence on Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Given the China controversy surrounding No Way Home, the comment raises eyebrows.
It strongly suggests that Sony is steering clear of the Statue of Liberty in Spider-Man: Brand New Day to avoid another China roadblock and secure the release, in order to make more money.
What makes it stand out even more is that Brand New Day is once again set in New York City, yet this time, Lady Liberty – and the Captain America tribute – will be nowhere to be found.
