Marvel fans in the Philippines are petitioning Sony Pictures to release Spider-Man: No Way Home on the same date the new movie opens in most theaters worldwide. The Sony and Marvel Studios co-production, which will play exclusively in movie theaters on December 17 in the U.S., won't reach newly reopened movie theaters in the Philippines until weeks later: on January 8, 2022. The delayed release of the anticipated sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home now arrives in-between Sony's Spider-Man Universe spin-offs Venom: Let There Be Carnage (December 8) and Morbius (February 9).
Filipino fans are calling for an earlier release date for the Spider-Man sequel by circulating a change.org petition and the trending hashtag "#DontDelayNoWayHomePH." No Way Home opens mid-December in most territories.
"Good things come to those who wait, thank you for your patience," Columbia Pictures Philippines wrote when releasing a list of upcoming titles on Instagram, including Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (December 15), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (January 26), and Spider-Man star Tom Holland's PlayStation adaptation Uncharted (February 23).
"I'd have [to] stay away from the internet for weeks because the moment it comes out on Dec. 17 in other countries, spoilers would be everywhere," one fan tweeted with the hashtag calling for a moved-up release date. Wrote another user showing support for the petition that has reached its goal of 2,500 signatures, "This film needs to release everywhere at the same time. Fans in the Philippines should not have to wait until January to watch No Way Home."
The Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP) has announced a list of theaters reopening on November 10 with Denis Villeneuve's Dune, the first theatrical release in the country in 19 months. According to Inquirer, the Inter-Agency Task Force is enforcing restrictions for returning moviegoers: admission is reserved for fully vaccinated customers with a seating capacity of 30%.
The secretive Spider-Man: No Way Home, rumored to partner the Peter Parker (Tom Holland) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) from other dimensions in the Multiverse, shattered records with the release of its first trailer in August. First looks at Spider-Man's team-up with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the return of Spider-Man 2 villain Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) helped break the all-time viewership record previously set by Marvel's Avengers: Endgame in its first 24 hours online.
See more fan tweets below: