Marvel has taken unprecedented steps to try and prevent the proliferation of spoilers for its next blockbuster on social media.
The studio is set to release Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in UK cinemas this thursday.
A sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange, the film has already been subject to a number of spoilers, some of which were given away deliberately in the film’s promotional material, while others have apparently come via unsanctioned leaks.
Marvel has now adopted the approach of locking down its social media posts, so fans are unable to reply directly to anything they share.
Replies have been disabled on all of the company’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Announcing the move, Marvel wrote: “See you on the other side of the Multiverse. Replies will now be disabled.”
While this will do little to limit the spread of Doctor Strange spoilers on the social media platforms as a whole, the move hopes to reduce the likelihood of someone encountering a spoiler while viewing one of the company’s own posts.
Last year, Spider-Man: No Way Home proved a minefield when it came to spoilers, as Marvel attempted to keep the involvement of previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield secret from fans.
While they were only semi-successful in these efforts, a desire to watch the film before spoilers proliferated online was often cited as a significant factor in the movie’s hugely high-grossing opening weekend.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is out in the UK on 5 May.
