After the British Board of Film Censors refused a certificate on 13 January 1960, UK distributor Cross Channel were struggling to mount a release. Following its London preview on 25 January 1961 (at 2:30 pm for press and trade only), Blackjackets was premiered at the Compton cinema (for members only) the following day and ran for five weeks, returning in February 1964 for a further three weeks. In the meantime Cross Channel toured numerous local authorities seeking local certificates. One of the few who said yes were Torquay where Blackjackets opened at the Empire La Continentale on Sunday, 8 April 1962 for a week's run. Elsewhere, the Liverpool premiere was at the city centre's Hope Hall cinema on Sunday, 5 November 1961, but this had to be organized on a membership basis. Likewise at Uppingham's Rutland Cinema whose weekly film club screened the film on Wednesday, 26 September 1962. The vast majority of councils said no, including Reading Town Council's strangely named Watch Committee who turned the film down on 4 April 1961 without actually bothering to watch it.
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