10 Ways The Marvel Studios And Disney Release Date Calendar Has Changed Due To The COVID-19 Pandemic

On Friday, Disney and Marvel Studios announced a huge shake-up to their respective release date calendars, and we're now taking a closer look at the biggest changes which have been made as a result...

By JoshWilding - Apr 06, 2020 11:04 AM EST

Filed Under: Marvel Studios

Late last week, Disney finally accepted the inevitable and made some seismic shifts to its release calendar. As well as being forced to postpone big budget blockbusters like Mulan and The Jungle Cruise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was also hit with some major delays.

Now, thanks to COVID-19, the summer blockbuster season has essentially been cancelled, and that's had ramifications which have affected both next year and 2022 (really!).

In this feature, we're breaking down the biggest ways the Disney and Marvel Studios release date schedules have completely changed thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, looking at those changes as well as what they mean for the future. We also delve into the Disney+ TV shows, and the movies which either have no release in sight or are skipping theaters altogether.

To check out this breakdown, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button down below!

10. Indiana Jones 5 Is Yet Another Year Away

While Logan director James Mangold reportedly remains in talks to take the helm of the next Indiana Jones movie, it's getting harder and harder to believe it's going to ever happen.

Disney has had ample opportunities to make good use of the property since acquiring Lucasfilm, but now the release date has been changed from July 9th, 2021 to July 29th, 2022, the movie will be arriving in theaters just a couple of weeks after Harrison Ford's 80th birthday.

That's not the Indiana Jones fans remember, and it honestly feels like a full-on reboot would be a better option than a sequel at this point, especially now we're forced to wait another year.

9. An Optimistic Release Date For Mulan

Mulan has now been moved to July 24th, 2020, and that seems very optimistic on Disney's part. Even if theaters are somehow back open by then (it seems doubtful), moviegoers are going to be reluctant to head back to them that soon, and that surely means the odds are stacked against the live-action version of the animated classic being a box office hit.

At this point, it wouldn't be overly surprising for Mulan to be hit with another delay, and that begs the question of why Disney would decide to schedule it for as soon as July.

There's no way a movie like this is heading to Disney+, and so it could easily slip into 2021 at this point. For now, though, Mulan could be the blockbuster that restarts the summer.

8. Black Panther 2 Is Coming As Planned

Despite all the bad news about Phase 4 being delayed (we'll get to that a little later), there was one film which wasn't hit by a delay. As of right now, Ryan Coogler's Black Panther 2 is still set to be released in theaters on its original release date - which was announced at D23 - of May 8th, 2022.

Very little is known about the sequel, but Coogler remains hard at work on the screenplay, and rumours continue to persist about Michael B. Jordan reprising the role of Erik Killmonger.

The only cast members we do 100% know will return, though, are Chadwick Boseman (T'Challa) and Danai Gurira (Okoye), so it will probably be a while before any solid plot details find their way online. Regardless, it's no great surprise that Marvel Studios is sticking with that prime summer release date.

7. Artemis Fowl Is No Longer Coming To Theaters

When Disney shook up its release calendar on Friday, a press release was sent out confirming that Artemis Fowl will now be skipping its theatrical debut and heading straight to Disney+ instead.

"Director Kenneth Branagh and his spectacular cast take viewers right into the vibrant, fantasy world of the beloved book, which fans have been waiting to see brought to life onscreen for years," Disney+ Content President Ricky Strauss said in a statement. "It’s great family entertainment that is the perfect addition to Disney+’s summer lineup."

A release date hasn't been announced as of yet, but some time in May seems likely. With so much negativity surrounding the movie, though (fans of the books really aren't impressed by those trailers), it's not like Artemis Fowl was ever going to make a huge impact at the box office.

6. Captain Marvel 2 Has A Release Date

Before we get to the bad news, we thankfully have more good news for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Captain Marvel sequel has taken the slot previously held by an Untitled Marvel movie on July 29th, 2022, but has been brought forward slightly to July 8th, 2022.

It's possible Captain Marvel 2 was going to originally arrive on February 18th, 2022, but that slot has been given to Thor: Love and Thunder, so there's still a chance it was delayed.

We may never know, but however you look at it, 2022 has lost a mystery Marvel movie due to the changes that have been made to Phase 4. On the plus side, more Carol Danvers is no bad thing, especially if those rumblings about a Secret Invasion adaptation are accurate.

5. Soul Remains Unmoved

This is a weird one. Despite changing its entire release schedule, Disney has not delayed Soul. The Pixar movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 19th, and with it looking unlikely that even Mulan will be released as planned in late July, we're finding it hard to imagine how Soul will still come out as planned when theaters will almost certainly be closed.

Onward's box office performance wasn't quite as high as expected, and Soul looks good...but also kind of weird! In other words, it doesn't exactly appear to have much mass market appeal.

With that in mind, the reason we've not heard about a delay could be because it's going to arrive on Disney+ instead, and with the Marvel and Star Wars TV shows unlikely to arrive later this year as planned unless things change soon, this could be a smart move for the streaming service.

4. The New Mutants Remains Undated

The New Mutants has already been delayed more times than we can count, so it wasn't exactly the biggest surprise when it failed to debut in theaters this past Friday (in all fairness, that was never going to be possible given current world events). Now, it's back to being undated.

It's not the only Twentieth Century Studios film to fall into that category, though, as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Antlers, and Woman in the Window are also stuck in limbo.

In the case of The New Mutants, it probably can't head straight to Disney+ due to an existing deal Fox had with HBO until 2022, so a VOD release seems most likely in the not too distant future.

3. A Big Phase 4 Release Date Shuffle

Hold on to your hats, because Phase 4 has undergone some big changes! After being postponed by Marvel Studios, Black Widow is now coming our way on November 6th, 2020.

That pushes Eternals to February 12th, 2021, the release date that previously belonged to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. That now moves to May 7th, 2021, forcing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to November 5th, 2021. The Doctor Strange sequel, meanwhile, has pushed Thor: Love and Thunder to February 18th, 2022.

As we mentioned, that was a slot previously reserved for an untitled Marvel Studios movie. There's currently no word from Sony Pictures on what's happening with Spider-Man 3, though.

2. The Jungle Cruise's Year-Long Delay

Starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, The Jungle Cruise (based on the classic Disney theme park ride of the same name) was shaping up to be one of 2020's biggest blockbusters.

Unfortunately, Mulan's delay means that it's now been forced to move to July 30th, 2021. It seems that Disney's thinking was that they're going to need big movies next year, especially with many of those supposed to be coming our way then potentially unable to start filming as planned.

In other release date news, Free Guy has slid from July 3rd, 2020 to December 11th, 2020.

1. There's No Word On Marvel's Disney+ TV Shows

Unfortunately, even though Disney has now made its theatrical plans clear, we've heard nothing about what the studio has planned for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, The Mandalorian, and WandaVision. All three shows were meant to be released on Disney+ later this year, but they've inevitably been put on hold as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If things change soon, then there's a chance they'll start streaming later this year (with only slight delays), but we can't bank on that right now, and it's hard to escape the feeling that bad news is coming.

For the time being, Disney no doubt wants to hold off on making any sort of rash decisions, but if these lockdowns and shutdowns remain in place for the foreseeable future, hard decisions will need to be made...that could be disastrous for subscriber numbers, however!

SNOW WHITE: Rumored Details On The Seven Dwarfs & Rachel Zegler's More Independent Princess

Recommended For You:

MCU Rumor Roundup: Updates On THE FANTASTIC FOUR's Silver Surfer Twist, AVENGERS 5, BLADE, And More

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Do you have what it takes to write for us?

Want to contribute?

35 Comments

FleischerSupes - 4/6/2020, 12:09 PM

That Celestial artwork is pretty eerie. Probably the only thing I'm looking forward to in the Eternals.

LongMayHeReign - 4/6/2020, 12:11 PM

@FleischerSupes - You not looking forward to this?!

Tonic24k - 4/6/2020, 12:21 PM

@LongMayHeReign - My guy.... thank you for this

LongMayHeReign - 4/6/2020, 1:07 PM

@Tonic24k -

Feralwookiee - 4/6/2020, 1:44 PM

@LongMayHeReign - B-bbbb-bb-b-b-bbbb-b-b-bb-bbb! 😱

PicolasCage - 4/6/2020, 2:37 PM

@LongMayHeReign -

Wow... that’s more than I remember lol

LongMayHeReign - 4/6/2020, 2:50 PM

@PicolasCage - Her cup runneth over!

Tonic24k - 4/6/2020, 12:20 PM

Honestly, I don't even want to think about this any more. It's extremely depressing for me. 😞

Himura - 4/6/2020, 12:22 PM

We did it guys. We have reached peak reporting. Never thought I'd actually see a "10 Ways" article about the Coronavirus with a next button but here we are.

Scarilian - 4/6/2020, 8:07 PM

@Himura -
10 ways the MCU could be further delayed when Coronavirus does not peak this April

10 ways the MCU could release films when Cinema's do not re-open this year

It's only just begun.

tmp3 - 4/6/2020, 12:22 PM

OT: Old Flash director seems to be implying that Ezra was a douche during pre-production too
https://twitter.com/JohnFDaley/status/1247236568831496192

Feralwookiee - 4/6/2020, 1:46 PM

Disney has already run Star Wars into the ground like a stolen car. Lucas and Speilberg did enough to shit all over IJ with that last movie. Please, leave these properties alone.

528491 - 4/6/2020, 2:17 PM

Next up, 10 ways Josh Wilding can continue to scrape the bottom of the barrel for clicks during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Uhhhhhh - 4/6/2020, 2:59 PM

"...and Soul looks good...but also kind of weird! In other words, it doesn't exactly appear to have much mass-market appeal."

What a comment for a comic book movie website to make, as if a lot of the superhero concepts aren't weird and WILDLY successful LMFAO

soberchimera - 4/7/2020, 6:30 AM

The release dates my have changed Josh, but you haven't...

Related Headlines

Legion

LEGION Star Dan Stevens On The Possibility Of Returning As David Haller In The MCU

MarkCassidy

4 days ago

Marvel Studios

MCU Rumor Roundup: Updates On THE FANTASTIC FOUR's Silver Surfer Twist, AVENGERS 5, BLADE, And More

JoshWilding

5 days ago

Marvel Studios

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

MarkCassidy

6 days ago

Related Headlines

Legion

LEGION Star Dan Stevens On The Possibility Of Returning As David Haller In The MCU

MarkCassidy

4 days ago

Marvel Studios

MCU Rumor Roundup: Updates On THE FANTASTIC FOUR's Silver Surfer Twist, AVENGERS 5, BLADE, And More

JoshWilding

5 days ago

Marvel Studios

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

MarkCassidy

6 days ago

Marvel Studios

MCU Rumor Roundup: Sydney Sweeney Joins The MCU, Thanos' Return, THE FANTASTIC FOUR's Setting, And More

JoshWilding

Apr 17, 2024 12:04 PM

Marvel Studios

REACHER Star Alan Ritchson Won't Star In "Marvel Movies Regurgitating Stories We've Seen A Thousand Times"

JoshWilding

Apr 16, 2024 09:04 AM

Marvel Studios

Spider-Man

Sam Raimi On AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumors And Potential SPIDER-MAN 4 Story

MarkCassidy

3 hours ago

Mad Max

FURIOSA Rated R For Strong Violence And Grisly Images; New "One Month" TV Spot Released

MarkCassidy

4 hours ago

Latest Headlines

Westworld

WESTWORLD Star Thandiwe Newton Joins The Cast Of WEDNESDAY Season 2

MarkCassidy

1 hour ago

Spider-Man

Sam Raimi On AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumors And Potential SPIDER-MAN 4 Story

MarkCassidy

3 hours ago

Mad Max

FURIOSA Rated R For Strong Violence And Grisly Images; New "One Month" TV Spot Released

MarkCassidy

4 hours ago

X-Men '97

X-MEN '97 Showrunner Addresses Some Of The Biggest Moments And Easter Eggs In Today's Episode

JoshWilding

5 hours ago

Marvel Comics

WOLVERINE #50: Marvel Shares First Look At Benjamin Percy's Final Issue As Logan Celebrates 50th Anniversary

JoshWilding

6 hours ago

Deadpool & Wolverine

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE's Post-Credits Scene Said To Be "Mind-Blowing"

MarkCassidy

7 hours ago

Hot Headlines

166 comments

MAN OF STEEL Director Zack Snyder Says Superman Would Be "Fake" If He Hadn't Killed General Zod

JoshWilding

1 day ago EST

100 comments

Former X-MEN '97 Showrunner Beau DeMayo Says Show Will Address Mr. Sinister's Racism

MarkCassidy

1 day ago EST

86 comments

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE's Post-Credits Scene Said To Be "Mind-Blowing"

MarkCassidy

7 hours ago EST

72 comments

SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW Guest-Star Megan Thee Stallion Sued For Workplace Harassment

MarkCassidy

21 hours ago EST

57 comments

More Sci-Fi & Fantasy ►

TWILIGHT OF THE GODS Director Zack Snyder Shares First Look At His Animated Norse Mythology Series

More Cartoons & Animated ►

New DESTINY 2: THE FINAL SHAPE Trailer Takes Us Into The Pale Heart Of The Traveler

More Anime & Manga ►

28 YEARS LATER: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Ralph Fiennes Officially Join Cast

More Horror ►

MONKEY MAN Exclusive Interview With Mask Designer Eddie Yang; Dev Patel Film Now Available On Digital HD

More Action Movies & TV ►

Jinder Mahal Reflects On Social Media Spat With AEW's Tony Khan And His WWE Day 1 Promo Alongside The Rock

More Pro Wrestling ►

THE LITTLE MERMAID: Ariel Gets An R-Rated Makeover In First Trailer For New Live-Action Adaptation

More Sci-Fi & Fantasy ►

More Cartoons & Animated ►

More Anime & Manga ►

More Horror ►

More Action Movies & TV ►

More Pro Wrestling ►

10 Ways The Marvel Studios And Disney Release Date Calendar Has Changed Due To The COVID-19 Pandemic

On Friday, Disney and Marvel Studios announced a huge shake-up to their respective release date calendars, and we're now taking a closer look at the biggest changes which have been made as a result...

10. Indiana Jones 5 Is Yet Another Year Away

9. An Optimistic Release Date For Mulan

8. Black Panther 2 Is Coming As Planned

7. Artemis Fowl Is No Longer Coming To Theaters

6. Captain Marvel 2 Has A Release Date

5. Soul Remains Unmoved

4. The New Mutants Remains Undated

3. A Big Phase 4 Release Date Shuffle

2. The Jungle Cruise's Year-Long Delay

1. There's No Word On Marvel's Disney+ TV Shows

SNOW WHITE: Rumored Details On The Seven "Dwarfs" & Rachel Zegler's "More Independent" Princess

MCU Rumor Roundup: Updates On THE FANTASTIC FOUR's Silver Surfer Twist, AVENGERS 5, BLADE, And More

LEGION Star Dan Stevens On The Possibility Of Returning As David Haller In The MCU

MCU Rumor Roundup: Updates On THE FANTASTIC FOUR's Silver Surfer Twist, AVENGERS 5, BLADE, And More

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

LEGION Star Dan Stevens On The Possibility Of Returning As David Haller In The MCU

MCU Rumor Roundup: Updates On THE FANTASTIC FOUR's Silver Surfer Twist, AVENGERS 5, BLADE, And More

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

MCU Rumor Roundup: Sydney Sweeney Joins The MCU, Thanos' Return, THE FANTASTIC FOUR's Setting, And More

REACHER Star Alan Ritchson Won't Star In "Marvel Movies Regurgitating Stories We've Seen A Thousand Times"

Layoffs Hit Marvel Studios After Bob Iger Previously Hinted At Reduced Output And Greater Focus On Quality

Popular Headlines

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: Rumored New Details About [SPOILER], [SPOILER], And [SPOILER]'s Roles Revealed

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: Rob Liefeld Responds To Trailer's Shot At His Apparent Inability To Draw Feet

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE's Post-Credits Scene Said To Be "Mind-Blowing"

X-MEN '97 "Bright Eyes" Recap: An Unexpected New Villain Revealed As [SPOILER] Makes Shock Return

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE Rumored To Feature An Appearance From [SPOILER] As [SPOILER]

WESTWORLD Star Thandiwe Newton Joins The Cast Of WEDNESDAY Season 2

Sam Raimi On AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumors And Potential SPIDER-MAN 4 Story

FURIOSA Rated R For Strong Violence And Grisly Images; New "One Month" TV Spot Released

WESTWORLD Star Thandiwe Newton Joins The Cast Of WEDNESDAY Season 2

Sam Raimi On AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumors And Potential SPIDER-MAN 4 Story

FURIOSA Rated R For Strong Violence And Grisly Images; New "One Month" TV Spot Released

X-MEN '97 Showrunner Addresses Some Of The Biggest Moments And Easter Eggs In Today's Episode

WOLVERINE #50: Marvel Shares First Look At Benjamin Percy's Final Issue As Logan Celebrates 50th Anniversary

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE's Post-Credits Scene Said To Be "Mind-Blowing"

Hot Headlines

MAN OF STEEL Director Zack Snyder Says Superman Would Be "Fake" If He Hadn't Killed General Zod

Former X-MEN '97 Showrunner Beau DeMayo Says Show Will Address Mr. Sinister's Racism

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE's Post-Credits Scene Said To Be "Mind-Blowing"

SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW Guest-Star Megan Thee Stallion Sued For Workplace Harassment

ATLAS: Jennifer Lopez Learns To "Trust A.I." In Full Trailer For Netflix's Sci-Fi Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

THE LITTLE MERMAID: Ariel Gets An R-Rated Makeover In First Trailer For New Live-Action Adaptation

STAR WARS: TALES OF THE EMPIRE Clip Sees General Grievous Attack Dathomir's Nightsisters

DUNE: PART TWO Honest Trailer Isn't Afraid To Point Out The Flaws In Denis Villeneuve's Sci-Fi Masterpiece

FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA Has Been Rated R For "Strong Violence And Grisly Images"

APPLE TV+'s NEUROMANCER Casts Callum Turner As Series Lead Case

DUNE: PART TWO Director Denis Villeneuve Breaks Down The Sequel's Ending And Teases MESSIAH Plans - SPOILERS

Cartoons & Animated Features

TWILIGHT OF THE GODS Director Zack Snyder Shares First Look At His Animated Norse Mythology Series

THE LITTLE MERMAID: New Live-Action Movie Rated R For "Violence & Nudity" - Check Out The Trailer

X-MEN '97 Showrunner Breaks Down Cameos, Easter Eggs And More In "Bright Eyes" - SPOILERS

X-MEN '97 Finally Reveals Its True Villain In "Bright Eyes" As We Get A Few Shocking Returns - SPOILERS

X-MEN '97: "Bright Eyes" Unleashes Rogue And Features TWO Huge Marvel Universe Cameos - SPOILERS

X-MEN '97: Rogue Is Out For Revenge In First Clip From Tomorrow's New Episode, "Bright Eyes"

Gaming

New DESTINY 2: THE FINAL SHAPE Trailer Takes Us Into The Pale Heart Of The Traveler

GTA 5 Voice Actor Reveals Plans For "Agent Trevor" DLC Before Rockstar Apparently Scrapped It

TALES OF THE SHIRE: A LORD OF THE RINGS GAME Official Announcement Trailer Released

FALLOUT Series Showrunners Strongly Hint Season 2 Will Take Us To An Iconic Location From The Games

Billie Eilish Headlines FORTNITE FESTIVAL Season 3

LaKeith Stanfield To Star In Film Based On EL PASO, ELSEWHERE Vampire Video Game

Anime & Manga

Netflix's ONE PIECE Season 2 Finally Gets A Release Window

UniVersus Reveals New MY HERO ACADEMIA: GIRL POWER Set

New Trailer For GAROUDEN: THE WAY OF THE LONE WOLF Released Ahead Of Netflix Debut

Netflix's ONE PIECE Finds New Showrunner In PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS' Joe Tracz

DRAGON BALL SUPER Interval Special Announced By Jump While Manga Remains On Indefinite Hiatus

New Teaser And Key Art For Live-Action TRILLION GAME Movie

Horror

28 YEARS LATER: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Ralph Fiennes Officially Join Cast

WEDNESDAY Season 2 Adds WESTWORLD Star Thandiwe Newton In Mysterious Role

BLINK TWICE: Channing Tatum Invites You To "Pussy Island" In First Trailer For Zoë Kravitz's Directorial Debut

THE WATCHERS New Trailer Sees Dakota Fanning Terrorised In Ishana Night Shyamalan's Directorial Debut

EVIL DEAD RISE Director Lee Cronin Shares Gruesome New BTS Photos To Mark Movie's One-Year Anniversary

Happy 4/20! Check Out The Red Band Trailer For New Stoner Horror Movie TRIM SEASON

Action Movies & TV