Warner Bros. is also ready for a showdown, will leave it to the fans to decide the outcome

Jul 20, 2014 15:29 GMT  ·  By
“Captain America 3” will be released as planned, on May 6, 2016 regardless of Warner Bros.’ schedule, says Marvel
   “Captain America 3” will be released as planned, on May 6, 2016 regardless of Warner Bros.’ schedule, says Marvel

Come 2016, we’re in for one of the biggest superhero showdowns we’ve ever witnessed in movie history – only that, this time, it won’t see the good guys go up against the bad guys in the traditional way, but two releases from rival studios.

On May 6, 2016, Marvel is releasing “Captain America 3.” “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice” from Warner Bros. was initially supposed to come out in 2015, but upon serious consideration, the studio moved it to 2006 and set for the premiere the same day as its biggest rival, Marvel: May 6.

It’s not unheard of for studios to pull stunts like this one, but this is the first time that a showdown of this magnitude is about to go down: we’re talking here of tentpole releases coming out on the exact same day. No matter which way you look at it, one of the studios stands to lose money, and because of how big these films are, they’re looking at millions in losses, not just pennies.

This is precisely why many industry insiders speculated that neither studio was “crazy” enough to actually go through with this and that one of them would eventually back down.

Warners said it wouldn’t be them in April. Marvel is doing this now, officially.

Talking to Empire magazine, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige says that they will be leaving it up to the fans to decide which of the films is to come out winner. It’s clear he knows what’s at stake, but he seems willing to take this risk.

“I continue to be all for quality entertainment for moviegoers to enjoy on weekends. If it is on the same weekend, I enjoy it slightly less,” Feige says.

“But we are doing what we’ve always done, which is sticking to our plan and sticking to our vision for the movies going forward and we have a very large vision that we’re working on for ‘Cap 3′ and for all the three movies and just because another movie plops down onto one of ours, doesn’t mean we are going to alter that. Maybe we should, but we’re not going to,” the Marvel President continues.

Marvel has faith in its “Captain America” franchise, and judging strictly by box office numbers, it has no reason not to. Warners, on the other hand, might want to reconsider this: while “Man of Steel,” which preceded “Dawn of Justice,” was a solid release, it is by no means a match for the Cap or “Avengers.”

On the same note, Warners might also want to consider the fact that their Superman is yet to prove himself to the fans and critics alike, which all of Marvel’s superheroes have already done. An educated guess would be that “Dawn of Justice” will be moved – not by much, perhaps only a week in advance or later than “Captain 3,” but it will be moved.