Will Early Screenings Sink Marvel’s Thunderbolts Before It Even Releases?

by

Summary

  • Super-early fan screenings can either help or hurt Thunderbolts*, creating crucial buzz or undermining opening weekend turnout.
  • Marvel’s confidence in Thunderbolts* may stem from the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 with early screenings.
  • The Flash‘s multiple early fan screenings led to negative word-of-mouth and a disastrous domestic opening, showing the risk of such strategies.

As a film enthusiast, I can hardly contain my excitement as we inch closer to the release of Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts! With less than two weeks left until the big day, it seems Kevin Feige and the team are putting everything on the line, banking on our early enthusiasm to create a wave of momentum. Starting from April 22, fans who simply can’t wait until May 2 will have the opportunity to attend free fan screenings at select IMAX theaters across ten major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. Japan is also jumping on board, holding its own fan screening on April 24, fueling anticipation even further!

The swift sale of Thunderbolts‘ pre-sale tickets indicates a high level of confidence, suggesting that there’s plenty of buzz and excitement surrounding this project, which is typically a positive sign for any studio. However, it’s important to note that early screenings can sometimes have a risky side effect, particularly for blockbusters like this one. There’s a concern that Marvel may be overly confident about the widespread approval of their new team of “Suicide Squad”-like antiheroes, potentially setting themselves up for an unintentional misstep.

Super-Early Fan Screenings Are A Double-Edged Sword For Blockbusters And Their Studios

It May Either Achieve The Intended Goal Or Backfire

Based on the analysis of Luiz Fernando, it’s risky to show a blockbuster linked to a popular intellectual property (IP) before its official release date. This strategy could potentially harm a key marketing asset: dedicated fans. These enthusiasts often create a buzz around the movie’s premiere, encouraging others to buy tickets. If they get an early screening, they might not feel compelled to attend on opening night, thus weakening the film’s initial impact, even if it’s minimal.

If the film “Thunderbolts” is planning an advance fan preview (different from regular test screenings), it should leave no room for question about its quality among attendees, making them eager to return during the movie’s general release weekend. The strategy follows standard marketing practices in Hollywood. However, if the film turns out to be subpar, average viewers might not realize until the third day of its release. An early screening two weeks prior, on the other hand, could create a dangerous situation: negative word-of-mouth and ample time for it to spread. If diehard fans, the group meant to generate opening weekend buzz, react with indifference or disinterest, it could have a cooling effect on overall audience attendance. For example, if “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” had a ten-day early screening and received negative word-of-mouth, its record-breaking $422 million worldwide opening would likely have significantly decreased.

The restrictions on sharing content about “Thunderbolts” on social media are lifted on April 22. This means that until the critic embargo lifts on April 29, only reviews from fans who have attended screenings can be shared publicly about the movie.

DCEU’s The Flash And Warner Bros. Have Quite A Negative Fan Screening Story To Tell

It Had Early Fan Screenings And Too Many of Them

At the southern end of initial test screenings, we find Andy Muschietti’s “The Flash.” Eager DC executives, overzealous about Barry Allen’s fame as the fastest man alive, gave fans a sneak peek. However, Ezra Miller’s solo venture as DC’s speedster was met with criticism even among die-hard fans. Matters worsened when the marketing team claimed the film was “the best thing since The Dark Knight,” a strategy that hasn’t proven successful for previous DCEU films. These early and repeated screenings resulted in unfavorable feedback, contributing to “The Flash” earning just $55 million domestically upon its release.

It’s important to note that even if The Flash had more and timely screenings, it wouldn’t necessarily have boosted its commercial success significantly. A poor movie remains a poor movie, regardless of how cleverly it’s promoted or how talented the marketing team is. Furthermore, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) was already facing difficulties in attracting audiences following Justice League. The early negative buzz from screenings likely reinforced the doubts that many viewers had about any non-Batman or Superman property emerging from the DCEU.

Marvel’s Confidence With Thunderbolts* Can Be Directly Tied to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3

Contrary to this, it’s clear that Kevin Feige grasped the task at hand with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3”. This space trilogy showcased such exceptional quality that even early screenings were arranged two weeks before general release. And it proved worthwhile. Given this, it seems likely that Marvel is following a similar approach with “Thunderbolts” as they believe it offers a similar standard of quality, one that’s also commercially promising.

Nonetheless, it’s important to adjust our anticipation levels. The movie “Thunderbolts*” is projected to debut with a more modest $70 million domestically, falling short of both “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3” and “Suicide Squad”. While it shares comparisons with the latter, let’s hope that it proves to be more enduring and better received than “Captain America: Brave New World”. In contrast to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s peak period, audiences are now more cautious about what Kevin Feige and his team offer. Consequently, there’s more riding on “Thunderbolts*” than might initially appear. If early critic reviews are any indication, the film appears to be shaping up well.

Thunderbolts* debuts in theaters worldwide on May 2

Read More

2025-04-21 15:35