Disney Delays All 2022 Marvel Films
by Emily Nagle
After a press conference this morning, Disney announced that they are pushing back the release dates for the 5 Marvel movies that were scheduled to premiere next year.
During the conference, the corporation switched around some of the release dates for their films, sharing an updated premiere calendar on Marvel’s official website. Some of the updated theatrical release dates include May 6, 2022 for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (delayed from March 2022); July 8, 2022 for “Thor: Love and Thunder” (shifted from May 2022); and November 11, 2022 for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (which was originally scheduled to release in summer 2022).
Also postponed is the fifth film in the “Indiana Jones” franchise, which will now premiere in summer 2023 instead of next summer. While it’s not clear why Disney has made the decision to delay the Marvel films, the reason for this film’s delay is due to star Harrison Ford injuring his shoulder on set back in June, allowing time for the actor to heal.
Disney’s upcoming films will receive a premiere format that more closely resembles their pre-pandemic releases, as they will receive an exclusive theatrical run for 45 days before they become available digitally. The company’s most recent theatrical releases have made record-breaking box office numbers, signifying numbers closer to what they were before the pandemic. Marvel’s latest release, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” quickly became the highest-grossing film of 2021, while “Black Widow” made the second highest. Disney most likely anticipates that the future Marvel films will excel in the box office in a similar manner.