Marvel Studios Just Abandoned Free Comic Book Day Weekend. Avengers: Infinity War Moves to April 27.

Posted on by

This year is packed with comic movie adaptations with Black Panther already released, two more being released this March, and Avengers: Infinity War following. There’s at least nine comic adaptations in 2018.

Avengers: Infinity War was to be released on May 4, but, in a surprise announcement, Marvel Studios has moved up the film’s release to April 27.

The reasoning is believed to be the need to give more space between the film and rival studio FOX’s The Untitled Deadpool Sequel (out May 18) but also to not compete with Lucasfilm’s Solo: A Star Wars Story (out May 25), also being released by Disney, the parent company for Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios.

What’s more interesting is the film also abandons Free Comic Book Day weekend. That yearly event is held the first Saturday in May. This year it falls on May 5th. This is the first time in numerous years a Marvel property film isn’t opening the same weekend as the event, something that goes back to 2007.

Only three openings were not a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Iron Man 2 opened the Friday after Free Comic Book Day.

2017 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opened May 5, FCBD was May 6.
2016 – Captain America: Civil War opened May 6, FCBD was May 7.
2015 – Avengers: Age of Ultron opened May 1, FCBD was May 2.
2014 – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opened May 2, FCBD was May 3.
2013 – Iron Man 3 opened May 3, FCBD was May 4.
2012 – Marvel’s’The Avengers opened May 4, FCBD was May 5.
2011 – Thor opened May 6, FCBD was May 7.
2010 – Iron Man 2 opened May 7, FCBD was May 1.
2009 – X-Men Origins: Wolverine opened May 1, FCBD was May 2.
2008 – Iron Man opened on May 2, FCBD was May 3.
2007 – Spider-Man 3 opened May 4, FCBD was May 5.

No films were released to correspond in 2004, 2005 and 2006 but…

X2 was released on May 2, 2003 and Spider-Man was released on May 3, 2002.

Marvel has that weekend locked down for the foreseable future with placeholders announced. We’ll see if these change after this year’s decision.

2019 – Untitled Avengers – May 3
2020 – Untitled Marvel Movie – May 1

Will there be impact? Not likely as the film is guaranteed to be a hit. The need to build buzz around the comic community’s word of mouth is no longer a must for the studio. Still… tradition.

tagged with , , ,