Sony Pictures has officially responded to concerns that Spider-Man: Brand New Day may be censored in certain markets. The upcoming MCU film is one of the most highly anticipated, and fans are eager to see every minute of it when it releases on July 31st. However, a reported shortened runtime for the film in some countries has many worried that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be subject to censorship upon its release.
Fans in India noticed that a cinema listing for Spider-Man: Brand New Day had a runtime 5 minutes shorter than the official runtime in North America. This quickly sparked concern and outrage, as users decried the potential for five minutes' worth of scenes to be cut, possibly due to strict content regulations in India. Sony Pictures India quickly stepped in on X, posting: "We would like to clarify that Spider-Man: Brand New Day has not yet even gone to the CBFC board in India." In a different response, Sony Pictures India noted that "any reports regarding certification are inaccurate."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day only recently received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA in the USA, meaning a rating from India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBCF) is forthcoming. Still, fans' concerns aren't unfounded, as Marvel Studios films have undergone censorship before, leading to scenes being omitted or altered.
For example, The Hollywood Reporter India revealed last year that Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* was cleared for release in India, but the CBCF requested that the film mute swear words to avoid an A (adults-only) rating. This censorship applied only to audio edits and didn't affect any visuals.
While not specifically Marvel, the CBCF has stepped in before to request visual edits to release films in India, with one notable recent example being the censorship of sex scenes in Oppenheimer.
DC Studios has also been subject to censorship in India, with The Independent reporting that the CBCF deems a kiss between Superman (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) in Superman to be "overly sensual", resulting in the 30-second scene being cut entirely.
MCU films have undergone censorship in other markets as well, such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which was forced to cut an LGBTQIA+ scene for release in Kuwait. Some markets have gone so far as to ban entire Marvel films from release, as happened with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in Saudi Arabia.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day follows Peter Parker/Spider-Man several years after Spider-Man: No Way Home as he enters a new era of his life. The movie stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Sadie Sink, and will be released on July 31.
Why Spider-Man: Brand New Day Could Be Censored
The past three Tom Holland Spider-Man films have maintained a U/A (Unrestricted Public Exhibition with Parental Guidance) rating from the CBCF in India, and it's likely Sony Pictures will seek the same rating for Brand New Day.
If it's a similar case to Thunderbolts*, then some lines could be edited to remove profanity, which may be particularly relevant in this film, given Jon Bernthal's involvement as The Punisher. Holland has already hinted at some in-universe ways the movie gets around Punisher's R-Rated language, but India's stricter classification laws mean words that may not necessarily be considered NSFW in some countries still need to be removed.
Violence is another possible reason for censorship. While Spider-Man: Brand New Day won't be tipping too far into graphic blood or gore, given its PG-13 rating in North America, it may attempt to push the boundaries, especially given the Punisher's involvement. Some theories suggest Spider-Man: Brand New Day could adapt a pivotal comic frame in which the Punisher carries an extremely wounded Spider-Man, and if Peter is beaten up to this degree in the movie, it could mean those scenes need to be toned down for release in all markets.
Other elements that could lead to censorship in stricter markets include romance or sensual scenes. As mentioned, a kiss scene in Superman was cut in India, so if Spider-Man: Brand New Day has any romantic scenes, these could potentially be on the cutting block.
There would have to be a lot of extreme content for the CBCF to consider cutting five minutes worth of footage from Spider-Man: Brand New Day in India, and that seems unlikely given the franchise's family-friendly reputation, but this fourth Spider-Man film has been touted as darker than the previous ones, so that could be the cause of stricter censorship.
