This may sound like old news, but Marvel has confirmed that Captain America 3 will hit theaters on May 6th, 2016. So, why is everyone talking about it again? Well, this means that Steve Rogers will officially face off against both Batman AND Superman, whose highly anticipated face-off is slated for release that very same day.
With Captain America: The Winter Soldier currently breaking April box office records (it’s already made $303 million globally, which is almost as much as The First Avenger made in its entire theatrical run), it would have made sense for Marvel to claim April as the new summer and move Cap 3 to the first April weekend in 2016. However, this new announcement from the studio means that they’re drawing a line in the sand and refusing to play release-date-chicken with Warner Bros. and DC.
This will only throw a helicarrier-sized gasoline tank onto the already fiery debate between Marvel and DC fans, but with two years still to go before the rivalling mega blockbusters hit theaters, anything can happen. Marvel has now proven that Captain America is a solid box office commodity, but does he really stand a chance between arguably the two biggest superheroes on the planet?
For now, we’ll just have to sit back and see what happens. As much fun as it would be for us to see two rivalling superhero films arrive on the same weekend (just imagine that opening-night double feature!), chances are it’s not going to happen. It just doesn’t make sense for both studios to release their films on the same day, as they’ll both end up losing money. At the end of the day, all “Marvel vs. DC” debates aside, this is still a business and the studios will do what’s best for them, not what they think might hurt the other company. My guess is DC will move Batman vs Superman to mid-summer, where they’ve had tremendous success with films like the Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel. Or, if they really want to get on Marvel’s nerves, they can be the ones that move to April 2016.
Tell us, do you think Captain America 3 stands a chance against Batman vs. Superman in 2016? Sound off in the comments below!