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If you have been planning out your runs to the theater, those plans in the coming years may have to change. Disney has moved a large portion of its blockbuster release dates. These include its entire slate of Marvel movies, some Star Wars films, and the Avatar sequels. While Deadpool 3 will have a bump up with its date, the rest will be delayed.
Disney Release Dates Shift for Marvel movies, Star Wars, and Avatar Sequels
Regarding Disney’s changes to its major release dates, we will start with the non-Marvel movies. Two untitled Star Wars movies are slated for May 22, 2026, and December 18, 2026. The former was originally set for December 19, 2025. For fans awaiting a revisit to Pandora, you will have to wait longer than expected. Avatar 3 was pushed to December 19, 2025, and Avatar 4 will now release on December 21, 2029. Avatar 5 will end James Cameron’s story on December 19, 2031, 22 years after the original 2009 film’s release.
The Marvel changes come with good news for Deadpool fans and bad news for everyone else. The first R-rated MCU film moved from November 8, 2024, to May 3, 2024. From there, Captain America: Brave New World will be moving from May 3, 2024, to July 26, 2024. The Thunderbolts release date is changing from July 26, 2024, to December 20, 2024. Blade is getting delayed once again to February 14, 2025, from its most recent date of September 6, 2024. Fantastic Four aimed for 2024 but will now release on May 2, 2025. The two Avengers films have also been pushed. The Kang Dynasty is moving from May 2, 2025, to May 1, 2026. Secret Wars will release on May 7, 2027, instead of May 1, 2026.
Reasons Behind the Shift in Release Dates
For Marvel, it makes sense to push dates back as the company tackles what to do with its Jonathan Majors situation after the actor was arrested with allegations following the news about his long history of abuse. As it juggles its slate for the Multiverse Saga, it fits that it would have to move everything to accommodate the epic conclusion with the two-parter Avengers films. Meanwhile, filming for Deadpool 3 is progressing well, so it can be bumped up to better fill the large hole in the Marvel movie calendar.
Star Wars has announced three projects in the pipeline without any dates previously announced by Disney. These dates are presumably for any of the projects that will be directed by James Mangold (Logan), Star Wars veteran Dave Filoni, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel).
The Avatar delays are a bit surprising, as work had been going on for some time on those films. The third entry has already been shot. This news comes a day after the Ubisoft Forward on June 12 that showed gameplay for its upcoming Avatar game, Frontiers of Pandora.