Walt Disney Studios has made huge changes to its upcoming film release schedule.
The studio announced on Monday that it has delayed a number of highly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Marvels, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was previously scheduled to hit theaters on March 25th, 2022, is now scheduled for a May 6th, 2022 release. The premiere date for Thor: Love and Thunder was moved from May 6th, 2022 to July 8th, 2022. Meanwhile, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will now open in cinemas on November 11th, 2020, instead of its previous release date of July 8th, 2022.
The Marvels was delayed for three months. Previously set to be released on November 11th, 2022, the Captain Marvel sequel will now have its theatrical release on February 17th, 2023. Marvel also pushed back the release date of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania from February 17th, 2023 to July 28th, 2023.
Two untitled Marvel movies were also removed from the schedule. One of those films was supposed to be released on July 28th, 2023, while the other was previously scheduled to hit theaters on October 6th 2023. One of the films is believed to be the Blade reboot, starring Mahershala Ali in the title role.
While most of the schedule changes are delays, there’s actually one untitled Marvel flick that got bumped up by a week. The said movie was previously set to be released on November 10th, 2023, but is now scheduled to open in theaters on November 3rd, 2023.
Disney’s updated film release schedule also includes a change of release date for the untitled fifth Indiana Jones film. The movie was previously set to make its theatrical debut on July 29th, 2022, but its premiere date was moved to June 30th, 2023.
An untitled 20th Century film was also affected by the schedule shakeup. The said movie was supposed to be released on October 20th, 2023, but has now been removed from the schedule.
The recent changes in the release schedule for Marvel movies mean that there will now be three MCU films to be released in 2022 instead of four. The schedule shakeup also means that there will now be a five-month duration between 2021’s final MCU release, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the next theatrical installment of the franchise, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Thankfully, there were no changes in the schedule for the remaining Marvel films for 2021. The Eternals, which previously suffered multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is still scheduled for a November 5th, 2021 release. Spider-Man: No Way Home also remains on track for its December 17th, 2021 release.