It’s fairly common, in the past at least, for Marvel Studios to release one of its superhero blockbusters in the UK prior to the rest of the world. However, with recent films such as ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame,’ the emphasis was on global day-and-date releases because of worries concerning spoilers. Well, it appears that Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to go back to the old release schedule, as “Black Widow” is reportedly set to arrive in the UK a week before North America and the rest of the world.
According to a Digital Spy report, which claims that Disney confirmed the news, “Black Widow” is expected to arrive in UK cinemas on October 28, while North America is still stuck with a November 6 release date. Obviously, it should go without saying that this is all contingent on cinemas being ready by then, given that most are still closed due to COVID-19.
And yes, if this release schedule holds up, that means spoilers will abound online for a full week before the bulk of the world can see “Black Widow.” For fans of the MCU outside of the UK, this means a social media moratorium is likely in the future. Or you can just risk knowing what happens to Scarlett Johansson’s character by the end of the film. Oh wait, it’s a prequel. Nevermind. The character is dead. But still, you know, what about Florence Pugh’s character, huh? There will still be spoilers to ruin someone’s day with.
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As mentioned, “Black Widow” now occupies the fall release date, after being moved from the May 1 date due to the pandemic shutting down most theaters around the world. In response, Disney/Marvel Studios decided to shift the entire release calendar for Phase 4 of its MCU, impacting numerous films between now and 2022. And now, we are in the middle of the longest Marvel Studios drought since a decade ago, with almost a year and a half between “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and “Black Widow.”