Eternals will premiere early at the Rome Film Festival. The highly anticipated MCU movie, which is next up in its Phase IV lineup, is directed by the newly Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao. The film shifts the spotlight away from conventional Marvel superhero teams like the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, introducing to the franchise the eponymous group of immortal aliens. Eternals boasts a starry ensemble, including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. The film is being praised for its diverse casting, which includes the depiction of Marvel's first LGBTQ+ family.

Originally, Eternals was primed to hit theatres last November, but post-production on the movie was delayed due to the pandemic, eventually pushing it back a full year. Marvel was also recently contemplating a day-and-date Disney+ release for Zhao's film, but its MCU predecessor, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, proved to be a pandemic box-office hit with theatrical exclusivity. Hence, it re-upped its commitment to a theatrical window for Eternals, setting its November 5 release date in stone.

Related: Why Eternals Needs To Be Longer Than Infinity War

However, according to a report from Variety, some won't have to that long to see the MCU film. Eternals will premiere at the Rome Film Festival on Sunday, October 24, as the closing film of their program. The festival organizers have confirmed that some of the movie's cast will be present for the screening, though no names have yet been disclosed. After this premiere, Eternals will go in theatres in Italy, France, Sweden, and Germany on November 3, 2021, while the US and the UK will have to wait until November 5.

The Eternals cast on a beach

As with all other major blockbusters, the wait for Eternals has been considerably longer than expected, but the film's marketing campaign has kept up anticipation well. Eternals' first teaser, which introduced the movie's characters and tone, quickly became an internet sensation, amassing 77 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours. A recent synopsis of the movie revealed that Eternals is set both in the past and present, leaving fans curious to know the history of the new superheroes, as well as what's next in store for them in the MCU.

With Eternals premiering early at the Rome Film Festival, reactions and reviews can be expected to starting pouring in at least a week before the film's release, which could be important for its success. While the movie is eagerly awaited, the Eternals as characters aren't exactly well known among the general public. But, with early reviews, even the most unacquainted fans will be able to decide whether the film is something they would enjoy. So far, there's a lot of trust in Zhao's vision as a director, but critics and fans have yet to see how she has approached the action set-pieces in Eternals, something that should become clear once the movie opens at Rome Film Fest later this month.

Next: The MCU Just Proved The Biggest Problem With The Eternals

Source: Variety

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