It’s typical for film critics to see movies early (when studios don’t offer early press screenings, that’s a bad sign). However, once they see them, they have to keep their lips sealed until the embargo is lifted. Once that embargo is gone, critics are free to post their reviews to their hearts’ content.
This usually happens a week or a few days before a film is set to bow out in theaters.
What’s unprecedented is Marvel apparently lifting that embargo for Captain America: Civil War tonight at 11 pm PST – a month before the movie arrives in theaters.
It should be specified that it’s only the social embargo that will be lifted tonight. The review embargo is supposed to lift next Wednesday. Which makes sense because Marvel is screening the film at CinemaCon that day.
The editor-in-chief at ScreenCrush confirmed this:
@PeterSHall Embargo lifts tonight at 11pm PT
— Mike Sampson (@mjsamps) April 8, 2016
@Sean_OConnell @PeterSHall Just social embargo, sorry. Full review can post on Wednesday afternoon.
— Mike Sampson (@mjsamps) April 8, 2016
What this means is that Marvel is extremely confident in this film, and aren’t at all deterred from releasing reviews based on what happened with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In fact, this seems to indicate that they predict reviews will help drive even more people to see the film, and for a longer time (BvS dropped dramatically in its second weekend, despite opening in more theaters).
An embargo being lifted a month before a film’s release pretty much never happens, so it will be curious to see what early reactions are and how this will affect the film.
Captain America: Civil War stars Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey. Jr, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Daniel Brühl, Chadwick Boseman, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Emily VanCamp, Martin Freeman, and Don Cheadle, is set to hit theaters on May 6, 2016.
Will you read the early reviews? Do you think this will help or hurt the film? Sound off below!
Source: ScreenRant
