Marvel is looking to make cinemas theirs again in 2022, but the wait will be a bit longer than fans initially expected. The powerhouse Disney-owned studio is moving almost all of its major releases for next year and the following year, beginning with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Spider-Man: No Way Home and Eternals are locked in their 2021 release dates, but March’s Doctor Strange sequel will now see a May release. The knock-on effect sees Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder vacating that spot and moving to July, with the rest of the slate following suit. The new release schedule now reads as follows:
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is moving from March 25th, 2022 to May 6th
- Thor: Love and Thunder moves from May 6th to July 8th
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is moving from July 8th to November 11th
- The Marvels is moving from November 11th to February 17th, 2023,
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is moving to July 28th, 2023
The only Marvel film to not change dates in 2023 is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will kick off summer 2023 on May 5th. Marvel also shifted an untitled MCU project from November 10th, 2023, to November 3rd, 2023.
While no real reason was given for the delays, many have taken to speculate on the shifting releases. Some have noted that Doctor Strange 2 may have left its March date to avoid the mania around The Batman, while Deadline reports the brand is “contending with finishing scenarios while others are in production” and has instead pushed back the dates to allow the films enough time in production and post-production.
