Disney has significantly shuffled its theatrical film release calendar, bumping back the release dates of virtually all its upcoming Marvel films and “Avatar 3,” in some cases by as much as a year. The studio has, however, slotted in release dates for two new “Star Wars” films.
“Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” “Blade,” “Fantastic Four,” the next “Avengers” movies and “Avatar 3″ have all been pushed back. “Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts” were bumped into late 2024, and “Blade” and “Fantastic Four” have moved to later in 2025. James Cameron’s “Avatar 3” has moved from December 2024 to December 2025. The fifth and final “Avatar” movie now won’t hit theaters until 2031. The untitled third “Deadpool” movie is one of the rare Marvel movies actually moving up on the release calendar. It will now open May 3, 2024, up from a prior release in November.
Several of these movies have been impacted as a result of the Writers Guild of America strike, with “Blade” among those that have been halted indefinitely until the strike is completed.
Other movies shifted on the calendar include the live-action “Moana,” which will now open June 27, 2025, up slightly from July 2, 2025. The two untitled, unspecified “Star Wars” movies will each open in 2026, one in late May and the other in December. Fede Alvarez’s upcoming “Alien” movie will now open on August 6, 2024.
While it’s unclear what the “Star Wars” movies are, Lucasfilm previously announced the upcoming theatrical titles on its slate back at this year’s Star Wars Celebration event, including movies directed by James Mangold and long-time “Star Wars” TV guru Dave Filoni. There’s alsoOscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s previously announced feature, which will see the return of Daisy Ridley to the franchise as her character Rey.
The current phase of the MCU now won’t conclude until May 7, 2027, which is the new release date of “Avengers: Secret Wars.” It will be separated by a year from “Avengers: Kang Dynasty,” which hits theaters in 2026. The studio is also still grappling with what to do with star Jonathan Majors as Kang following the actor’s arrest earlier this year.
And the “Avatar” franchise, once meant to wrap up by 2028, now won’t be finished until 2031. The third film has been largely shot, and Cameron has previously said that the fourth and fifth movies are mapped out (though they have yet to be officially greenlit). “Avatar: The Way of Water” brought in $2.32 billion globally.
