The Marvel Studios movie, starring Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, the Russian-born spy-turned-Avenger, is among a slate of upcoming major releases postponed from last year due to the pandemic, and which cinema operators hope will revive ticket sales.

A recurring character in the Marvel cinematic universe since 2010’s “Iron Man 2”, Romanoff gets a standalone movie with “Black Widow” in which she revisits her past.

“From start to finish, this whole experience has been so absolutely crazy, and the added time of two years has made it feel like it’s still not real,” actress Florence Pugh, who plays Romanoff’s sister Yelena, said at the event.

“The fact that people are possibly dressing up as Yelena and Natasha is so beautiful. I’m just really excited for people to see it. It’s been a long time.”

Cinemas in Leicester Square, the traditional location for London film premieres, only reopened last month, with social distancing measures in place. Yesterday’s preview was held in two separate screening rooms.

“There’s nothing like watching a film in the cinema,” said Marvel fan Milly, who was dressed as Romanoff. “It’s really nice that we get to see this the way it should have been seen in the first place.”

Similar fan events were also held in other cities including New York and Los Angeles.

Cinemas hope to lure back audiences with movies like “Black Widow”; “F9”, the ninth instalment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise; and DC comics film “The Suicide Squad”.