Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5th, with previews likely to be available as soon as May 3rd in some countries. But you don’t have to wait another week to see the conclusion of the Guardians saga. Strangely enough, Marvel will host free Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 screenings before the film’s official theatrical release date. Lucky MCU fans will be able to watch the movie soon after the red carpet premiere this week.
That also means that, yes, spoilers will be making their way online soon enough. Even without the free early screenings, Marvel already hosted a big Guardians Vol. 3 event in Paris, France, where it screened the sequel.
Where to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 early screenings
Marvel will hold the official Guardians Vol. 3 red carpet premiere on April 27th, about a week before the film hits theaters worldwide. But Marvel fans can see the movie as soon as April 28th, a full week before the official release date.
In a somewhat peculiar move, Marvel announced on Saturday that it’ll host no fewer than 25 Guardians Vol. 3 screenings for fans on April 28th.
On April 28, be among the first to see Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by attending an @IMAX Special Fan Screening!
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) April 22, 2023
Fans attending one of the 25 special screenings will also receive a collectible mini poster. Get tickets now: https://t.co/8BqZqgVYwt #GotGVol3 pic.twitter.com/vAD5o82IQj
The events are spread throughout the US, and some are already sold out. Others offer wait lists as of Monday morning.
Whatever the case, you’ll find information about the Guardians Vol. 3 free screenings at this link. You can search for screenings near you using the page. Although, again, it’ll be difficult to get in.
Why is Marvel offering early screenings?
What Marvel is doing with Guardians Vol. 3 is very rare for the MCU. Marvel is extremely secretive about its MCU projects, although the studio has a massive leak problem right now. Details surrounding every major MCU Phase 4 movie leaked long before their premiere dates. And Phase 5 is no different.
The Quantumania plot leaked way early, and we have reason to believe the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 story also leaked.
We did see Sony pull off a similar trick for Venom 2, offering early screenings of the movie, which had one purpose: To drive sales for the film.
Sony went out of its way to ensure that Spider-Man fans knew Tom Holland’s Spidey had a cameo in a Venom 2 credits scene. The early screening gave Sony that extra publicity, as the credits scene tied Venom to the MCU.
But Marvel shouldn’t have the same problem with MCU movies. Most of them make plenty of cash at the box office, even the less spectacular ones.
But Quantumania was hardly the excellent start to Phase 5 Marvel hoped for. And early projections indicate that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might not do very well at the box office, despite the franchise’s popularity with fans.
Word of mouth could help counter that and increase ticket sales at the expense of spoilers getting out a week earlier than usual. That said, the reactions to the third film in the franchise are encouraging. Film critics who attended the movie’s premiere at Disneyland Paris praised the film’s humor and the emotional moments the movie will deliver.
Critics did not share any spoilers, of course, but the fans attending the free Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 screenings are unlikely to hold back.
