Marvel is having a pretty solid year so far after the success of Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and that success is expected to continue with the release of Eternals (currently projected to open at $100 million) and Spider-Man: No Way Home, which could very well end up being the biggest movie of the year. As Marvel takes in this success, they’re looking to the future and that includes shifting some of their biggest upcoming releases.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, previously scheduled to be released on March 25, 2022, will now hit screens on May 6, 2022. Due to this move, Thor: Love And Thunder, which was to open on May 6, 2022, will now be released on July 8, 2022. Since Thor: Love And Thunder is taking the July 8 slot, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever moves to November 11, 2022. The Black Panther sequel snagging the November release date now pushes the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, to February 17, 2023. Lastly, with The Marvels shifting to February 2023, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania moves to July 28, 2023. A lot of changes to keep up with so mark your calendars accordingly.
It should also be noted that three Untitled Marvel projects that were dated July 28, 2023, October 6, 2023, and October 20, 2023, have all been removed from their release schedule. Only one Untitled Marvel project remains on the schedule that was expected on November 10, 2023, but it will now hit screens earlier on November 3, 2023. No word on what these projects actually are so let the speculation begin.
According to “Deadline“, none of these changes have to do with a change in distribution strategy. Some of the changes are due to the films still needing to be finished (post-production) while others are still actively shooting. This is about Disney and Marvel ensuring the projects are finished on schedule with enough time to properly market them. Disney and Marvel have been pretty good at scheduling their titles, particularly their comic book efforts, so I’d trust in the fact that they do know what they’re doing.
What are YOUR thoughts on this Marvel movie delay?