ant-man poster 2

UPDATE: Okay, we reported this earlier, but just in case you missed it the first time, because Comic Con…

Marvel, sneaky buggers, posted the following PR on October 8th:

Now that Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially reached its conclusion with the release of Marvel’s “Ant-Man,” we have new details on what to expect in Phase 3!

Following our hero’s debut adventure in this summer’s “Ant-Man,” Scott Lang will return alongside Hope Van Dyne on July 6, 2018 with Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” The sequel will mark the first Marvel Studios film named after its heroine.

Additionally, Ant-Man’s second adventure will lead to a couple of other films shifting their dates, with Marvel’s “Black Panther” moving up to February 16, 2018 and Marvel’s “Captain Marvel” landing on March 8, 2019.

Finally, three untitled Marvel Studios films will premiere on May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020.

The announcement of “Ant-Man and the Wasp” follows the success of “Ant-Man,” which has earned $178.5M domestically and $231.5M internationally for a global total of $410M. It’s the #9 film of the year domestically, and opens in its final international market, China, on October 16.

“Ant-Man” followed one of this year’s biggest blockbusters, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” which has earned $458.9M domestically and $946M internationally for a global total of $1,404.9M, making it the #2 film of the year domestically and the #6 film of all time globally.

Stay tuned to Marvel.com for more exciting announcements on Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

So, the talking points:

  • Ant-Man has made $410 Million worldwide, and the huge China market has yet to open.
  • AMatW gets Black Panther’s date. And the Wasp headlines a movie before Captain Marvel. Wonder Woman might screen in 2017, but the clock’s ticking, so Marvel might grab the “Strong Female Protagonist” crown with this flick.
  • Black Panther gets moved up earlier to February 16, a week after an untitled WB animation feature, three weeks before a Disney animated feature, and more than a month before a DC superhero feature. Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1 opens May 4, 2018.
  • Captain Marvel, originally scheduled for November 2, 2018, is now scheduled for March 8, 2019, which is one week after Avengers, Infinity War, Part 2! Inhumans is scheduled for July, and there are two DC superhero movies planned as well, for April and June. Will Captain Marvel be featured in Infinity War before she appears in her solo film? Might it continue a storyline from Infinity War?
  • And there are three untitled Marvel films grabbing dates in 2020. Two, each a month after DC’s superhero movies, and one two weeks before a WB event film. Expect a Disney animated feature the week after that, on Thanksgiving 2020.

Well, I was half right with my prediction that Marvel would announce something in October. They just didn’t do a big media event…


UPDATE TWO:

As part of that announcement, Disney has released dates for 19 movies! (Toldja there would be a feature on Thanksgiving!)  I’ll update the calendar in a few days, once I finish up NYCC reportage.

Here’s the PR, via Deadline:

CARS 3 now dated on 6/16/17 wide

COCO is final title of previous “11/22/17 Untitled Pixar Animation” (previously announced 11/22/17 wide playdate is unchanged)

11/2/18 UNTITLED DISNEY FAIRY TALE (Live Action) now dated on 12/22/17 wide

BLACK PANTHER moves to 2/16/18 wide (from 7/6/18 wide)

GIGANTIC is final title of previous “3/9/18 Disney Animation” (previously announced 3/9/18 wide playdate is unchanged)

TOY STORY 4 moves to 6/15/18 wide (from 6/16/17 wide)

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP now dated on 7/6/18 wide

UNTITLED DISNEY FAIRY TALE (Live Action) now dated on 11/2/18 wide

CAPTAIN MARVEL moves to 3/8/19 wide (from 11/2/18 wide)

UNTITLED DISNEY FAIRY TALE (Live Action) now dated on 3/29/19 wide

UNTITLED DISNEYTOON STUDIOS now dated on 4/12/19 wide

THE INCREDIBLES 2 now dated on 6/21/19 wide

11/8/19 UNTITLED DISNEY FAIRY TALE (Live Action) now dated on 11/8/19 wide

3/13/20 UNTITLED PIXAR ANIMATION now dated on 3/13/20 wide

5/1/20 UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 5/1/20 wide

6/19/20 UNTITLED PIXAR ANIMATION now dated on 6/19/20 wide

7/10/20 UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 7/10/20 wide

11/6/20 UNTITLED MARVEL now dated on 11/6/20 wide

11/25/20 UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION now dated on Wed 11/25/20 wide


 

 

4 COMMENTS

  1. I remember the time when studios would option a property, develop a script from it, make the movie and schedule a release date. In that order. Now, that list is upside down.

    I just watched a documentary about the schlockmeisters of the 80’s, Cannon Films. Most of the titles they sold to markets around the world were based solely on a poster and a star they may or may not have signed yet. They eventually crashed and burned. But now, a big studio like Marvel can promise even *less* — ‘Untitled Fairy Tale’ or ‘Untitled Marvel’. Of course, it *is* based on past successes, but it seems they found the winning formula to sell *nothing*. They get exhibitors to commit thousands of movie screens far in advance of their release dates with product they may never see until the last minute. A pretty astonishing business model.

    Also, for all you aspiring entrepreneurs out there, now might be a good time to trademark the name ‘Untitled’.

  2. ” They get exhibitors to commit thousands of movie screens far in advance of their release dates with product they may never see until the last minute. A pretty astonishing business model.”

    That’s actually not all that new a business model.

    And speaking of making the posters first and then the movies, that sometimes resulted in posters for movies that never got made, like this one, sadly:

    http://chantrellposter.com/images/products/large/34d81a7d-5d8a-405c-8a45-5d815a9b8100.jpg

  3. “We’ve got motherlovin’ terrordactyls on the motherlovin zepplin!”

    As for the “untitled” properties… it’s been like that for at least two decades.
    I’d flip through the Hollywood Reporter or Variety at work, and take a look at the movies in production. It’s not uncommon to see “untitled Sony” or “Seth Rogen comedy” as a placeholder.

    Need a plot generator? Try:
    “It’s [movie 1] meets [movie 2] by way of [movie 3].”
    Taking three random movies:
    It’s “For a Few Dollars More” meets “Om Shanti Om” by way of “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler”.

    Two bounty hunters with the same intentions team up to track down a Western outlaw.
    In the 1970s, Om, an aspiring actor, is murdered, but is immediately reincarnated into the present day. He attempts to discover the mystery of his demise and find Shanti, the love of his previous life.
    Precocious Claudia and her brother run away from home and hide in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

    So, you’ve got two bounty hunters who assassinate an inspiring actor in the 1970s (I’m thinking a little bit of “Death Wish/Taxi Driver” aesthetic here, with maybe a Bruce Lee trope). In the present day, a niece and nephew visit their great aunt in New York City, and discover the story of her lost love (the victim). Using a few clues, the teens manage to convince a retired film archivist to allow them to dig through a long defunct studio’s archives to solve the murder before their vacation ends.

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