“The Marvels” is one of the three MCU films released this year, and it’s also highly anticipated by the fanbase. After all, it will expand the cosmic frontier of the MCU and put not just Captain Marvel but also Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau in the footlight. It was originally slated to be released on July 28, 2023. But now, it has been shifted to November 10, 2023. So the film has been pushed back until the end of the year. But why? Let us decode Marvel Studios’ sudden decision and how it will affect other MCU projects of the year.
Why Did Marvel Studios Shift The Marvels To A Later Release Date?
As of now, no official reason has been given by Marvel Studios or Disney for the shift in the release date, but there’s plenty of speculation already. For one, the three MCU movies that are getting released this year were all originally planned for the first half of 2023. “Ant-Man 3” was released on February 17, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is coming on May 5, and “The Marvels” was given a July 28 date. As such, the gap, especially between “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “The Marvels,” is too short. As a result, it can affect the latter’s box office.
So shifting it to a November release date gives it more breathing room. Also, the competition in November is less intense compared to that in July. In November, the major notable films getting released are “Wish,” “Dune: Part Two,” “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” and “Trolls 3: The Trollstopia.” In July, the movies getting released are “Barbie,” “Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Insidious: Fear the Dark.” As such, with multiple heavyweights and hyped titles, it would have been tough competition for “The Marvels.”
This isn’t to say that “The Marvels” would have flopped at the box office. However, there’s no reason for Marvel Studios to cram a tentpole movie into an already busy month. Also, Marvel Studios didn’t have any films getting released in the latter half of the year during the winter. This way, they will be able to spread out the three movies and keep the anticipation of the fans high for the whole year. But that’s not the only reason if fans are to be believed.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Solace” is currently getting bombarded with poor critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Currently, the movie has a miserable 48% score with 292 reviews. As such, it’s possible that Marvel Studios pushed back “The Marvels” to ensure that it gets more time in post-production. After all, rumors are going around that the movie isn’t testing well with focus audiences. Also, with widespread criticism for the MCU’s CGI, which seems to have not been fixed even in “Ant-Man 3,” the studio will want to ensure that the movie set in space looks perfect at least. MCU fans are also speculating that there could be reshoots for the film.
How Will The Marvels’ Being Delayed Affect Other MCU Projects?
Recently, an article in The Hollywood Reporter stated that Disney is focused on cutting back costs. Since Marvel Studios is the company’s main supplier of content, they are feeling those money belts should be tightened soon. The outlet speculates that the changes will be visible this year itself. Now, instead of the five announced Disney+ Marvel shows coming in 2023, only two of them will arrive on screens.
These two shows are “Secret Invasion” and “Loki” season 2. Whether the other three shows, “Echo,” “Ironheart,” and “Agatha: Coven of Chaos,” get released this year or not isn’t known as of now. “Secret Invasion” doesn’t have a release date yet, but it was speculated that it will be released in the spring of 2023 before “The Marvels” gets into theaters. However, since the movie has been pushed back, Marvel Studios may delay “Secret Invasion,” too. Now, it can be released sometime between August and October.
After all, “Secret Invasion” is almost a direct sequel to “Captain Marvel” and will most probably lead into “The Marvels” in some way. So Marvel Studios will definitely be looking forward to releasing it immediately before the film so that it stays fresh in the minds of the audiences. As for “Loki” season 2, that’s supposed to expand on the multiverse aspect even further. Also, we expect that the post-credits scene of “Ant-Man 3,” where Loki and Mobius exclaim disbelief after seeing the Victor Timely version of Kang, will be explored.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed at the 2022 SDCC that season 2 of “Loki” will be released during the summer of 2023. However, it’s possible that it might get bumped up to June since “Secret Invasion” is getting postponed. What ultimately turns out to be the release dates of these two shows remains to be seen.
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