Marvel recently delayed Avengers: Doomsday’s release date from May 1 to December 18, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars was moved from May 7 to December 17, 2027. But with these changes, fans wonder why the release dates have been altered. Here are a few potential reasons.
List of reasons why Marvel possibly delayed Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars
More time for production and post-production
Avengers: Doomsday only began production in April. Being Marvel’s big-budget project with multiple components and actor schedules to align, it would have needed more than 13 months to finish production and post-production since it began filming. Usually, movies of similar scale and scope take 16-20 months to finish, if not more. They involve thousands of VFX shots, and this delay would allow Marvel the flexibility needed in its production and post-production stages.
Marvel could employ reshoots and add actors if needed
Extending the aforementioned reason, movies of this scale sometimes end up needing reshoots to fix certain aspects after filming. Avengers: Doomsday’s delay would allow the time to employ extended filming.
Furthermore, with the extensive roster of actors involved, scheduling becomes critical. After all, not all actors might be available at once. Someone like Tom Holland, who is currently filming The Odyssey and will film Spider-Man: Brand New Day soon, could be added to Avengers: Doomsday’s cast now. Marvel could also bring in other new and unannounced actors/characters to film scenes at different points in time during production or fit their schedules in during potential reshoots.
Getting the story right
Changes can be made to the story and script on the go during many Marvel productions. Hence, a delay will allow Stephen McFeely and the Russos more time to get the story spot on.
To build anticipation
Deadpool & Wolverine was the only Marvel movie that came out in 2024. After The Marvels’ low box office returns, Marvel focused on course correction by reducing the number of Marvel projects in 2024 and getting future projects right. It allowed Marvel to build Deadpool & Wolverine as an event that fans craved for.
So, by making fans wait for almost 17 months after The Fantastic Four: First Steps, something similar could be done for Avengers: Doomsday. Additionally, Marvel’s 2025 lineup hasn’t blown up the box office so far. But with the latest delay, Marvel could pull off more commercial successes like Deadpool & Wolverine by hyping up Avengers movies as mega-events.
Continuing Disney’s successful holiday season runs
Avatar 2’s December holiday season slot proved to be extremely successful for Disney in terms of revenue. Even Spider-Man: No Way Home, which Disney had a stake in, grossed almost $2 billion when it was released in December 2021. Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed over $2 billion in December 2015. Hence, Disney might want to continue its holiday period success run in the next two years by moving the Avengers movies to December.
