The anticipation surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home has been sky-high, mainly because of the Multiverse-filled shenanigans that the film will showcase in its narrative.
The film is directed by Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts, and it will feature the return of Tom Holland's webslinger. The threequel is expected to address the game-changing ending of Far From Home, where Peter Parker's identity as a superhero was revealed to the world by Mysterio.
In the months leading up to its first trailer, No Way Home was plagued with rumors such as Doctor Strange's inclusion as well as the potential involvement of past Spider-Man villains like Jamie Foxx's Electro and Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus.
Eventually, official footage of the movie confirmed Strange and Molina's roles in the threequel, leaving many to believe that other reported castings are accurate.
The Multiverse confirmation also led to rumors that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would both return to reprise their respective Spider-Man roles. The anticipation was further amplified when Watts claimed that No Way Home would be Spider-Man's Avengers: Endgame, seemingly hinting that the online buzz could turn out to be true.
All of these reports and rumors contribute to the ongoing hype for No Way Home's December 2021 release, but it seems that some countries won't be able to join the trend due to an imminent delay.
Sony Delays Spider-Man: No Way Home Overseas
Columbia Pictures Philippines confirmed in a post that Spider-Man: No Way Home will have a delayed release in the country on January 8, 2022. The MCU threequel is currently scheduled for release on December 17, 2021 in most territories worldwide.
As a result of No Way Home's delay in the Philippines, Lance Chua recently launched an online petition via Change.org to persuade Columbia Pictures to release the film on December 17, 2021 instead of the planned January 8 premiere.
As of writing, the petition already reached over 2,300 signatures.
Avid Marvel fans of the Philippines also created a hashtag in the form of #DontDelayNoWayHomePH to gain the attention of Sony.
Columbia Pictures Philippines has yet to respond on the matter.
In a separate post, Sony Pictures Japan also revealed that No Way Home's release will be delayed as well, with the movie's premiere being pushed back to January 7, 2022.
The translated announcement can be read below:
"Japan release date decided!
Spider-Man: No Way Home
1/7 (Friday)
Released at movie theaters nationwide."
Movies and the Sad Reality of the Pandemic
It's quite unfortunate that Marvel fans from the Philippines and Japan will not be able to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home on time, which can be attributed to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
After being closed for a year and seven months due to COVID-19, movie theaters in the Philippines are expected to reopen on November 10, 2021, meaning that MCU films like Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings have yet to be released on the big screen in the country.
As part of the reopening, the aforementioned Marvel films will be released in a weekly manner, with Black Widow nabbing a November 17 premiere while Shang-Chi takes over the November 24 spot. This also means that Eternals, which is set to premiere on November 5 in most countries, will also be delayed in the Philippines, with it having a tentative release on December 1, 2021.
The domino effect eventually caught up with No Way Home. This current predicament leaves Filipino fans wondering if Sony would reconsider changing its January release date to potentially boost ticket sales for the country.
Meanwhile, some have speculated that No Way Home's delay in Japan was reportedly caused by Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The Tom Hardy-led sequel is slated for a release in Japan on December 3, 2021.
Based on the Twitter replies and Facebook comments, it's clear that fans are visibly upset about the ongoing development. The reaction is understandable due to the current hype surrounding No Way Home.
One of the main reasons why fans have been pushing for the December release is to avoid major spoilers. The 3-week delay would mean that fans from the Philippines and Japan would need to stay away from social media to save themselves from being spoiled, especially considering that Facebook and Twitter transform into a landmine of plot points and surprise character appearances whenever a new Marvel film premieres.
Hopefully, the passionate call to action of Marvel fans from the respective countries will gain the attention of Sony before No Way Home's December 17 release.
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