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Box Office: Marvel postpones Avengers Doomsday and Secret Wars because of tepid response to Captain America 4, Thunderbolts?
Disney delays Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars by 7 months amid Marvel shake-up, signaling a slowdown after lukewarm box office returns of recent titles and a shift in strategy.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is hitting the brakes on its upcoming adventures. Disney has officially postponed the release of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, pushing both films back by seven months. Doomsday will now release on December 18, 2026, instead of May 1, 2026, while Secret Wars will arrive on December 17, 2027.
The shift comes alongside a complete reshuffle of Disney's theatrical slate, including the removal of several previously announced Marvel release dates. Notably, the February 13, 2026 slot for an untitled Marvel film has been scrapped, while two more dates — November 6, 2026, and November 5, 2027 — have been rebranded as Untitled Disney features.
These delays raise questions about the current state of the MCU, especially following the lukewarm box office performance of Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts. Released in February 2025, Captain America 4 earned just a little over USD 400 million globally, falling short of expectations for a film with a reported USD 180 million budget, minus marketing costs.
Meanwhile, Thunderbolts, currently in theatres, has crossed USD 300 million but is trending towards a similarly modest total. Despite being marketed as a New Avengers rebrand, the film is unlikely to outperform its predecessor by any significant margin.
The underwhelming performance of these two key titles may have influenced Disney's decision to slow things down and take a more measured approach. CEO Bob Iger, for the record, recently acknowledged that Marvel had "lost a little focus" by churning out too much content across films and Disney Plus properties. Iger emphasized the need to consolidate and return to high-quality storytelling in fewer, bigger releases.
Both Doomsday and Secret Wars are set to be major crossover events. The former feature will mark the return of Robert Downey Jr. in a new villainous role as Doctor Doom, along with appearances from characters introduced in Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as returning X-Men icons like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.
With fewer MCU titles currently on the calendar — only Fantastic Four this July and Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July 2026 — Marvel seems to be entering a transitional phase. Whether this strategic slowdown will result in better content and restored fan excitement remains to be seen.
ALSO READ: Box Office: Thunderbolts aka The New Avengers slips to No. 3 in US, but shows steady Monday hold
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