Some of last year’s cinematic hits are still chugging along, despite the 2024 movie schedule also being in play. The final January 2024 box office weekend was certainly kind to 2023’s finest, as Anyone But You’s top 10 status continued to be unchallenged.
This has prompted Sony Pictures to seemingly unveil a treat for fans of the Glen Powell/Sydney Sweeney rom-com: a “Valentine’s Edition” re-release. You know, it’s not too late to ask those charismatic stars to rename this new venture, and I seriously wonder what they’d come up with if asked.
Yes, It’s Serious Called Anyone But You: The Valentine’s Edition
You read that right, dear readers, as Fandango has a listing for what’s being called Anyone But You: The Valentine’s Edition, which is slated to open on February 9th. So what are we getting as a result of this R-rated revamp? Well, we’re not quite sure yet; all that’s known is that the running time listed is about 4 minutes longer than the version that’s currently crushing at the box office.
Other than that, this heart-shaped surprise for fans of Powell and Sweeney is a bit of a mystery. But if those four minutes are creative enough, they might just address the issues that CinemaBlend’s own Sarah El-Mahmoud highlighted in our Anything But You review.
Still, for an R-rated rom-com that recently crossed $100 million, this doesn’t seem all that surprising of a tactic to keep the magic going. Though it does make me think of another time-honored tradition that needs to be restored, in the wake of such success.
It’s Time For Anyone But You To Bring Back The Unrated Home Release
I’m sure there are going to be viewers of co-writer/director Will Gluck’s supposed take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing who will be excited to see what was missing the first time around. That being said, four minutes of extra footage has me rather curious about why Sony Pictures didn’t opt to release this other cut as an Unrated home release; be it under the “Valentine’s Edition” name or any other?
Movies like Anyone But You are clearly cut out for this sort of thing. Raunchy R-rated comedies with even just a slight difference were able to launch "Unrated Editions" on DVD, as most effectively seen with the American Pie franchise. While Anyone But You isn't quite in the same realm as the adventures of Jim, Stifler and the rest of the crew, having an unrated home release isn't a bad idea. To be fair, at the time of this writing, the cover art for the eventual home release hasn’t shown anything indicating that another cut will be present.
Then again, that just means that if this new Valentine’s Day-themed reissue happens to be as successful as Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney’s on-screen chemistry, there could be a market for such a thing to happen. At which point, there should definitely be a video in which these delightful co-stars introduce a new name for the home release.
The powers of Powell and Sweeney worked in theaters, so clearly there’s something to this concept. In the meantime, Anyone But You is currently still showing in theaters, with the “Valentine’s Edition” heading to screens on February 9th. So those of you lovers, galentines and anyone else who’s in the mood for some more rom-com action, you have your orders.
