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With ‘Never Say Never’ re-release, Justin Bieber has a new cut

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Justin Bieber fans flew into an anxious tizzy Monday when it was revealed that the pop star had cut off his trademark bangs.

But now comes some news that will likely calm the distraught Beliebers. Only hours after the singer shed his locks, Paramount announced plans to release a new version of Jon M. Chu’s 3-D documentary, which follows Bieber on his recent concert tour.

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That’s right, for one! week! only! beginning Feb. 25, those who can’t seem to recover from Bieber Fever will have the chance to get ill all over again. Like Coppola restoring ‘Apocalypse Now Redux,’ the studio is releasing a version of ‘Never Say Never’ containing 40 new minutes of Biebs footage (although the movie’s running time will only be extended by 10 minutes; about half an hour from the previous version will be cut).

The new movie will run in place of all 3-D screenings of the original, so fans will have to pay a premium to see the added scenes; the older version will continue to screen in 2-D.

So what new insights can we expect? According to Paramount, the added scenes will reveal more of Bieber hanging with his friends in his Canadian hometown as well as new concert material shot at Madison Square Garden last year (not to be confused with the old concert material shot at Madison Square Garden last year).

The release is a smart -- or shameless, depending on how you see it -- ploy to capitalize on the interest of Bieber’s rabid fan base. Concert films don’t traditionally have a long shelf life, and a quick-turnaround re-release is a way to keep the momentum going.

Bieber’s film has so far actually been faring better than other recent movies centered on teen idols. After nearly beating the new Adam Sandler film for the No. 1 spot at the box office over Valentine’s Day weekend, ‘Never Say Never’ dropped 55% on its second weekend. That may seem sizable, but compared with other tween-pinup concert movies, it’s pretty small (“Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience’ fell 77%).

Of course, Paramount will still have one big question to contend with: Which version of the documentary should it submit for Oscar consideration?

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--Amy Kaufman

Twitter.com/AmyKinLA

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