What’s the one thing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok all had in common? You know, besides all of the trappings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe…
That’s right, Marvel’s 2017 triple act released overseas first before making their respective debuts in North America. And it seems as though Avengers: Infinity War will uphold that tradition come 2018. Newsarama is reporting that Joe and Anthony Russo’s star-studded sequel has been earmarked for a release in India on April 27th – a full week before its arrival in the States.
It’s not the only international market expected to receive Infinity War early, either; Marvel’s blockbuster will begin its rollout on April 25th in Australia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. The following day, it’ll expand to Brazil, Germany, Greece, Hungary, and Singapore, before opening for those in Bulgaria, Japan, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam on the 27th of April.
For Disney and Marvel, it’s merely the continuation of a marketing strategy that places more emphasis on foreign markets – hardly surprising, given international audiences are responsible for a vast portion of the MCU’s box office revenue. Age of Ultron, for example, totaled $1.4 billion in 2015, with 67 percent of that figure coming from overseas.
But for those U.S. fans longing to see Avengers: Infinity War on the big screen, this staggered release schedule presents something of a nightmare. As the biggest film in Marvel’s decorated history, budding viewers will want to avoid spoilers by any means necessary, so those days between Infinity War‘s debut and its release in North America will be awfully tense. Our advice? Avoid Twitter like the plague.
And remember, May 4th, 2018 is the date for your diaries.