The release date of a film plays a huge factor in any film studio's marketing strategy and so it's customary to set a date way ahead of time; the cinematic equivalent to calling "dibs." Shuffling dates around isn't uncommon either, although in the case of May 6, 2016, that particular date saw the release of both BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE and CAPTAIN AMERICA 3. Those are two VERY big films and neither DC nor Marvel looked as though they had any intention of backing down. Well, DC just flinched. BATMAN V SUPERMAN will now hit theaters almost two months earlier, on March 25, 2016. More importantly, it will be well out of the way of Marvel's first Avenger.
This brings the current DC release schedule to the following, as per Deadline:
Currently slated for March 26 is BEVERLY HILLS COP 4, which doesn't appear to be any threat to DC's heroes. Perhaps more importantly is the following month of April, which is currently slated with releases like CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, THE BEST MAN WEDDING and Frank Darabont's THE HUNTSMAN. If I was a betting man, I'd say none of those will do any damage to BATMAN V SUPERMAN's box office prowess. As far as fans are concerned, we don't have to wait as long, so it looks to be a win/win for everyone involved.
BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE will now be released on March 25, 2016.