Marvel Studios adjusts MCU theatrical release schedule

By Kelas Lloyd

Marvel Studios has announced some shake-ups to its movie release schedule. Currently only the release date for The Marvels remains unchanged, while Deadpool 3 is moved forward and everything else appears to be pushed back.

The new release schedule looks like this:

The Marvels – Nov 10th, 2023 (unchanged)

Deadpool 3 – May 3rd, 2024 (previously Nov 8th, 2024)

Captain America Brave New World – July 26th, 2024 (previously May 3rd, 2024)

Thunderbolts – Dec 20th, 2024 (previously July 26th, 2024)

Blade – Feb 14th, 2025 (previously Sept. 26th, 2024)

Fantastic Four – May 2nd, 2025 (previously Feb 14th, 2025)

Avengers Kang Dynasty – May 1st, 2026 (previously May 2nd, 2025)

Avengers Secret Wars – May 7th, 2027 (previously May 1st, 2026)

This announcement comes along with Disney changing up much of its release schedule, impacting Avatar and Star Wars releases. 

The biggest reason cited for the changes is the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which doesn’t look to be wrapping up any time soon. Also noted in discussion of the changes is criticism regarding how quickly so many MCU movies came out in phase 4, and how some of them might have been better if they’d been given more time. The audience could use breaks between the major releases, and it could prove good for the movie industry in general as the heavy focus on massive blockbusters is starting to cause audience fatigue while crowding out smaller films.

Unknown is whether or not allegations against Jonathan Majors and Tenoch Huerta have played any role in these scheduling changes, or will have any role to play in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Allegations against Ezra Miller didn’t seem to have any impact on the production of The Flash, but the movie’s opening weekend performance hasn’t been projected to be as good as the Warner Bros. studio may have hoped.