Marvel Studios has just announced another postponement of five MCU films. Marvel Studios has earned a reputation for being patient, but its Phase 4 lineup has been in flux for quite some time. The coronavirus epidemic, of course, was Marvel’s most serious concern. For months, the entire film and television business was effectively shut down. Viewers might have assumed the delays were gone, but Marvel Studios has unintentionally unveiled a slew of new adjustments to its future schedule. Although the problem does not appear to be tied to the coronavirus this time, it does suggest that things are once again in flux.
Marvel’s Phase 4 Release Dates Have Been Revised
Marvel Studios used to release only one or two films every year, but the company has recently increased to four or even five. Ironically, this makes the MCU Phase 4 slate far more vulnerable than before, as each alteration has a cascading impact, affecting the entire slate. As a result of Marvel’s recent MCU delays, no less than five release dates have been impacted.
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been rescheduled for May 6, 2022, instead of March 25, 2022.
- Thor: Love & Thunder was planned to be released on May 6, however it has been pushed back to July 8, 2022.
- The release date of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been moved back to November 11, 2022.
- The release date for Captain Marvel 2 has been pushed back from November 2022 to February 17, 2023.
- Quantumania, the sequel to Ant-Man and the Wasp, has been postponed from February 2023 to July 28, 2023
Why Has Marvel Postponed So Many Phase 4 Films?
There’ll no doubt be a lot of conjecture that Marvel’s latest actions are tied to the coronavirus, with the studio positioning films where they think they’ll do best at the box office. Rather, according to Variety, Disney sources argue that the delays are due to production issues rather than box office results; they point out that Black Panther 2 is still filming in Atlanta, for example. According to Deadline, there is a domino effect problem with production and filmmakers.
The Impact Of Marvel’s Phase 4 Delays On The Box Office
Doctor Strange 2 will be the first MCU film to be released in 2023, two months later. Even so, the “Distinguished Competition” – Marvel’s rival superhero picture studio, DC Films – is releasing The Batman in March, so that might not be an issue. Rather than facing the Sorcerer Supreme in March, the Dark Knight should be allowed to reign supreme. Some fans will be unhappy; after all, who doesn’t enjoy a good superhero against villain battle? However, this could mean that theatres will have more consistent revenue throughout the year.
As previously stated, Phase 4 of the MCU has been in a state of upheaval since its inception. It’s been rather simple to keep track of the changes, comprehend their causes, and assess their consequences. However, this is Marvel’s most enigmatic adjustment yet, with a vague explanation of “production concerns.” Hopefully, more specific explanations will emerge soon, and MCU fans will understand why Marvel has made these new delays.
