The internet is hoping the third Morb's the charm as a new petition is asking Sony to re-release the movie Morbius in theaters -- again.
Following Sony's fruitless attempt to cash in on the internet's mockery of Morbius, which stars Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius, a new Change.org petition is requesting the 2022 Spider-Man spinoff film be brought back to theaters for a third time this year. Ian Hinden, the "fan of the movie" who started the petition, insists the only reason Sony's first re-release failed was because all the would-be viewers were "busy that weekend."
"This weekend, excited fans across the world had the chance to once again see Morbius in the theaters," Hinden wrote in the description for the petition. "While this was an awesome opportunity, there was one problem: We were all busy this weekend. Some of us were washing our hair, some of us had to study, and some of us had just already made other plans. Please don't interpret this as disinterest on our part."
At the time of writing, the petition already has over 8,800 signatures from people who would like nothing more than for Sony Pictures to once again misunderstand the intention behind the "it's Morbin' time" memes. After being released earlier this year on the appropriate date of April 1, Morbius received highly negative reviews from critics. Criticisms were particularly focused on the film's plot, CGI, and lackluster post-credits scenes.
Despite the poor reception (or more likely because of it), Morbius has become an internet sensation. From the dozens of meme edits featuring the character saying "it's Morbin' time" to a 24/7 Twitch watch party of the film, Morbius is more popular in failure than success. Sony eventually caught wind of this and seemingly mistook the attention for genuine interest in the film, re-releasing Morbius for one more weekend. Despite Sony's hopes of selling the "Morbillion" tickets they were promised, the film made less than $300,000 upon re-release.
Hinden, along with the thousands of others who signed the petition, promise they will definitely see the movie this time should Sony comply with their demands... probably. "If [Sony] were to once again release Morbius in theaters, just let us know, and we will be there for sure," Hinden wrote. "Unless something comes up."
Morbius is currently available for digital purchase and is set for release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on June 14.
Source: Change.org