In the world of Marvel comics, few characters are as skilled in spycraft and assassination as Natasha “Black Widow” Romanoff. Generally speaking, unless you’re on her side, by the time you see her, it’s already too late.
Without a doubt, Romanoff is one of the most-dangerous — and best-known — icons of the Marvel universe thanks, in no small part, to her depiction by Scarlett Johansson in the wildly popular Avengers films.
Soon, however, moviegoers and comic fans will have a rare opportunity to get the drop on the famed secret-agent-come-superhero when the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater begins 2D screenings of the new Marvel blockbuster Black Widow.
The film’s first-run premiere at 6:30 p.m. on July 8 comes a day before it becomes available to rent on the Disney+ streaming platform. This makes the theater not only the first place to see Black Widow but also the biggest and brightest, courtesy of its state-of-the-art IMAX with Laser projection system.
Aquarium members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance on Wednesday, June 23, through a special members-only pre-sale. Online tickets will be available to the general public beginning Friday, June 25.
All-age ticket prices are $10 for deluxe membership holders/IMAX Club members, $13 for Aquarium members and $15 for general admission. No convenience fees or taxes will be added to the ticket price.
Black Widow will be screened daily at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. through Saturday, July 17. On opening weekend, July 9-10, the theater also will offer a 3:45 p.m. screening. From July 18-29, the theater will feature a 6:30 p.m. showing with additional 9:15 p.m. screenings on Fridays and Saturdays. A full screening schedule is available on the theater’s website at tnaqua.org/imax/black-widow.
Black Widow pulls back the curtain on titular character’s mysterious backstory. Set between the events of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, Romanoff finds herself on the run, desperately reconfronting a past she thought she’d left behind and reconnecting with the “family” who helped her to become such a deadly operative.
Marvel fans have long waited for a film focusing specifically on the infamous femme fatale. Other Avengers team members, such as Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and The Hulk, have all had opportunities — sometimes several — to shine in the cinematic spotlight. Despite rumors of Black Widow film dating to 2004, however, the prospect of a solo Black Widow feature proved as elusive as the superspy herself.
When this film was announced, fans were elated at the prospect. Initially dated for a 2020 premiere, the onset of the pandemic resulted in a series of delays. As a result, its hotly anticipated debut has many of the character’s most avid supporters at fever pitch.
“I kind of feel like this is one movie that got the bum end of the stick when the pandemic happened,” says Chattanoogan Shellina Blevins. “People waited so long for a Black Widow movie, and then we had to wait even longer.”
A member of Chattooine, a Chattanooga-based costuming group, Blevins has appeared at many events dressed as Black Widow. She and several other members of Chattooine will be on site to pose for pictures while dressed as Romanoff and other Marvel favorites in the leadup to the film’s 6:30 p.m. opening screening on Thursday, July 8.
After so many delays, Blevins says, the opportunity to finally see one of her favorite characters on the theater’s sprawling screen will make for a satisfyingly immersive end to an especially long wait.
“I think people will be excited to see it, especially in IMAX,” she says. “Giving Black Widow a moment to shine is good because a lot of people thought that, with the pandemic, it wasn’t going to get its heyday.
“It’ll definitely be a major experience, and I’m glad the Aquarium is doing it.”
The Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater will offer fans a cinemagoing experience unrivaled within the region. The IMAX with Laser projection system displays films at the highest possible resolution and with unmatched levels of brightness, color richness and contrast. Only a handful of theaters in the United States feature this cutting-edge projection system, the nearest more than 500 miles away.
Combined with a 12-channel audio system and a six-story screen, the IMAX 3D Theater offers the best possible way to view Disney’s latest superhero epic. For true cinemaphiles and Marvel fanatics, an IMAX screening will be the only way to experience it in its most-complete form. Filmmakers shot extensively in an expanded ratio that’s only viewable on IMAX screens. For twenty-two of the most action-packed minutes of the film Black Widow will fill the entire screen surface, expanding the image by an additional 26 percent.
For more information about Black Widow, including showtimes and links to prepurchase tickets (when available), visit tnaqua.org/imax/black-widow/