We kept hearing a particular type of idea in the weeks that preceded the first Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer. Sony and Marvel might be looking at delaying the movie’s release. That would be an expected response to the growing number of coronavirus cases in the US and other countries. That appeared to be a plausible explanation for the first trailer delay. Sony and Marvel might want to keep the trailer a secret for a while longer if Spider-Man 3 were to lose that December 17th premiere date.
The trailer then seemingly reconfirmed that Sony and Marvel plan to release the film before Christmas. That put release delay worries to rest for more than a week. But there’s a new No Way Home rumor that says Sony is indeed looking at postponing Spider-Man 3 until next year, giving us a new potential release date.
The first Spider-Man 3 delay worries
Worries that No Way Home would see additional delays weren’t exactly unwarranted. We learned a few weeks ago that Venom 2 would hit theaters later than expected. Then, Sony inked a deal with Amazon to have Hotel Transylvania 4 premiere online. The animation is skipping the theater release entirely as a result.
Even so, Spider-Man: No Way Home seemed to be in a different league. The film would be a guaranteed box office hit in pre-pandemic times, especially now that Sony’s Spider-Man plays in the MCU. The Far From Home cliffhanger and all the multiverse leaks make No Way Home one of the most anticipated films of 2021. But the pandemic stays in the way of that theatrical success.
Unlike Marvel, which can afford to release MCU films online on
Delaying the No Way Home release makes more sense if it comes to that. Just a few days after the first No Way Home trailer arrived, there’s a new rumor claiming that Sony and Marvel are considering moving the huge Spider-Man story.
The new No Way Home release delay rumor
This time around, it’s YouTube personality and Marvel insider Grace Randolph who says that No Way Home will move.
I’ll tell you something else I’m hearing…
There’s a VERY strong chance#Venom2 & #SpiderManNoWayHome will move
And Spidey could get #DoctorStrange2 March 2022 date
We should find out sometime in the next month or so… pic.twitter.com/HvxOnRKEOJ
— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) September 1, 2021
She said on Twitter “there’s a very strong chance” that both Venom 2 and No Way Home will move. Sony will decide at some point next month what to do with these two highly-anticipated movies. Again, the delay wouldn’t be surprising. We just learned that Paramount is moving the remaining 2021 releases to 2022 because of the pandemic. That includes both Top Gun: Maverick and Mission Impossible 7.
Randolph also tells us when No Way Home might hit theaters if that December 17th release date gets canned. Spider-Man 3 could get the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness slot. That’s March 25th, 2022.
If Sony does decide to move No Way Home back, then Marvel will have to make changes to its own release schedule. Doctor Strange 2 will see delays as well if Spider-Man 3 is to replace it next March.
Just like that, No Way Home might turn out to be one of the most anticipated movies of both 2021 and 2022.
