For the past several months, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice was scheduled to go head-to-head with Captain America 3 on May 6, 2016, creating an epic showdown between Disney-owned Marvel and Warner Bros.-owned DC Entertainment.
But last week Warner Bros. announced that it will be moving Batman vs. Superman up several weeks to March 25, 2016. Although the film had been widely buzzed about since its announcement last year, DC has a lot more to lose than Marvel. Marvel, which has been on a winning streak as of late, can afford to take a hit, while DC is still trying to establish itself and needs Batman vs. Superman to be a colossal success. (The $94 million debut of Guardians of the Galaxy may have also convinced DC and Warner Bros. not to go head-to-head with Marvel).
While the shift was indeed a smart move, it also underscored something even more significant going on in Hollywood: the diminished importance of the summer release date.
It used to be that blockbuster movies came out during the summer months between May and August or during Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the rest of the year reserved for mid-budget movies like romantic comedies and teen fare.
Although March is a time when kids are still in school, the month does have a history of movie debuts that became mega blockbusters such as 1999's The Matrix ($464 million worldwide) and 2010's Alice in Wonderland (over $1 billion worldwide).
Hollywood may have learned its lesson from last summer, when a crowded marketplace produced mega bombs such as RIPD, The Lone Ranger, and White House Down. Meanwhile, the success of last October's Gravity ($716 million worldwide), last February's The Lego Movie ($468 million worldwide) and last April's Captain America: The Winter Solider ($712 million worldwide) showed studios that a movie could be a hit no matter when it is released.
Batman vs. Superman isn't the only mega budget flick scheduled not to open during the summer months or holiday season. Disney's live action re-imagining of The Jungle Book is set to come out in October 2015, while Warner Bros. own Jungle Book movie is set to come out October 2016.
Not only has Warner Bros. missed a gigantic train wreck by moving up Batman vs. Superman by several weeks, but the movie now has a better chance of being hugely successful since it will now have the entire month of April 2016 to itself. But if the movie does become a hit, not only would it be a victory for DC and Warner Bros., but it would also be a victory for theatre goers and theatre owners, since it would further convince studios to release blockbuster movies year round.
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