The Twitter account for Marvel Studios, whose forthcoming blockbuster Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters later this week, made a cryptic post Friday that caught a lot of people off guard.
“See you on the other side of the Multiverse,” the tweet reads. “Replies will now be disabled.”
With a little bit of poking around on the account page, it becomes clear from the updated Marvel Studios bio blurb that the decision to disable replies is an apparent attempt at clamping down spoilers for the Doctor Strange sequel.
“Find out in a theater. Not online. Replies disabled. Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in theaters Friday. Get Tickets Now,” with a Fandango link to pre-sale tickets.
The logic seems to be that if people who follow Marvel Studios do not want Doctor Strange 2 ruined, they won’t be inundated with people spoiling details from the film by party poopers in the comments. That’s all well and good, but we suspect there’s a good chance the extreme measure of disabling comments is itself a marketing stunt to draw attention. Marvel Studios has also disabled comments on their Instagram and Facebook accounts.
One fan could only conjure up a dog GIF to summarize the utter fear they were feeling.
As another user put it, when it comes to spoilers, “We’re in the endgame now.”
Another fan could only conjure up a Darth Vadar meme to express his utter sense of loss.
One user apparently saw right through the marketing gimmick, however, writing simply, “CORNY.”
There’s an expectant deluge of spoilers for the film following the first screenings occurring this week, for which many Marvel fans are already bracing themselves.
Marvel doesn’t really need to do any highfalutin publicity moves to get the movie some attention, however, as presales are already indicating a U.S. opening weekend headed for north of $150 million — outpacing Captain Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Thor: Ragnarok — according to Deadline.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters May 6.