Marvel Studios Shakes Up Its MCU Release Calendar
Three things have become certain in life nowadays: Death, taxes, and Marvel Studios moving its release calendar around. If you've been a fan of the MCU since the COVID-19 pandemic began, then you know how true this statement is. Wave after wave of scheduling issues, coupled with production problems and other blunders, have not only sparked numerous pushbacks and delays but they've also caused movies to swap release dates or be scrapped altogether. This is the life of a Marvel fan. And now comes more news of a Phase 4 shakeup involving multiple films set to be released in 2023.
Back in October 2021, Marvel announced that it would be altering a massive portion of its Phase 4 lineup (via Variety and Deadline). This included moving "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" from March 25, 2022, to May 6, 2022; "Thor: Love and Thunder" from May 6 to July 8; "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" from July 8 to November 11; "The Marvels" from November 11 to February 17, 2023; and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" from February 17, 2023, to July 28, 2023.
Only one Phase 4 MCU movie reportedly kept its original release date — "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," which is slated to come out on May 5, 2023. Two untitled projects that were supposed to be released in 2023 were completely axed altogether. On Friday, Disney announced that they would be rolling out some more changes yet again.
The Marvels and Quantumania are swapping release dates
According to Variety, the MCU Phase 4 films "The Marvels" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will be swapping their release dates next year. Instead of opening on July 28, 2023, "Quantumania" will be rolled out in theaters on February 17, 2023. "The Marvels," which is the sequel to 2019's "Captain Marvel," is now slotted into the July 28 premiere date.
While previous changes were related to production issues and other problems, such as COVID-19, sources told Variety that this latest development is simply the result of "Quantumania" being further along in its creative process than expected. The film has already wrapped principal photography, according to the sources, while "The Marvels" is just not that far along yet. As of right now, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is still going to be coming out on May 5, 2023, and no other major changes have been made.
As noted by Variety, the move by Disney and Marvel Studios will likely cause a number of MCU diehards to clutch their pearls, seeing how the swapping of the two films suggests that they won't directly be connected in the ways other projects have been in the past, like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." After the second "Doctor Strange" movie, it'll be "Thor: Love and Thunder" that's next in line for release with its opening set for July 8.