Walt Disney Co. is delaying the release of five upcoming Marvel superhero films and the next installment of the “Indiana Jones” franchise, according to media reports.
Sources with the Burbank entertainment and media giant told industry publication Variety that the decision was for production reasons and is not related to box office returns.
The changes in the release schedule include Marvel superhero films “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” moving from March 2022 to May 2022; “Thor: Love and Thunder,” moving from May to July of next year; “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” moving from July 2022 to November of next year; “The Marvels,” a sequel to the 2019 hit “Captain Marvel,” moving from November 2022 to February 2023; and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” moving from February 2023 to July of that year.
In addition, the untitled fifth installment of the “Indiana Jones” franchise moves from July 2022 to June 2023.
Also, two other Marvel films plus a Disney live action film, all untitled and set for release in 2023, have been removed from the release schedule.
The news of the film delays was first reported on Monday. On Tuesday, shares of Disney (DIS) closed up 4 cents, or a fraction of a percent, to $171.18 on the New York Stock Exchange, on a day when the Dow Jones closed up a fraction of a percent.