The Coronavirus continues to have a massive effect on the entire movie industry. With movie theatres shut down and every studios pushing theatrical debuts months in advance, every major studios has already had to make substantial changes to their film release schedules. Marvel Studios is in the same situation, already having pushed their Phase 4 movie slate ahead to November 2020. More recent breaking news has forced two other major sequels from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to change their release dates as well.
NEWS
According to a new report from Deadline, Marvel Studios has moved the release date for two of its major sequels. Thor: Love and Thunder will now release on February 11, 2022, moving its theatrical debut one week ahead of schedule. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has also moved ahead to March 25, 2022 after the news of the untitled Spider-Man 3 from Sony and Marvel Studios being delayed to November 5, 2021.
WHAT THIS MEANS
It seemed to be only a matter of time until news of this delay came out, especially considering the recent comments from Tom Holland casting doubt on when production will start. Spider-Man 3 was orignally scheduled to begin production in July 2020, but the delays forced into action by the Coronavirus pandemic have unsurprisingly put that date into jeopardy. This news also comes directly after Sony made the decision to delay Spider-Man 3 to November 5, 2021, which was the date orignally held by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
This also changes not only the release order of the MCU's Phase 4 films, but the number of films releasing per year in 2021 and '22. After the premiere of Black Widow in November 2020, the MCU will be releasing three films in 2021 (The Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Spider-Man 3). The franchise will then move it's most jam-packed year ever to 2022 releasing five movies, including Thor: Love and Thunder in February, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in March, Black Panther 2 in May, and Captain Marvel 2 in July, and an untitled movie set for October 7, 2022.
