Okay, Marvel, you win Monday morning.
Today, Marvel Entertainment released a new, 3-minute video called “Marvel Studios Celebrates The Movies.” The first half is a well-edited highlight reel of the most emotional moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, complete with inspiring narration by none other than the late Stan Lee and punctuated by footage of a movie theater crowd reacting to the “Portals” scene in Avengers: Endgame on opening night. (I’m not crying, you’re crying…)
If that bit of nostalgia for the movie-theater experience wasn’t enough, the second half of the video gives fans a look at what’s to come next in the MCU film slate. Following an unprecedented number of release date shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these may finally be the release dates that stick.
Some of the info in this preview section was old news, but there were some big reveals, too, most notably the very first look at this fall’s Eternals. There are only a few seconds of footage from the upcoming movie (directed by Oscar-winning Nomadland director Chloé Zhao), but it includes Angelina Jolie’s Marvel debut.
The video also revealed titles for the second Black Panther movie (Wakanda Forever) and Captain Marvel 2 (The Marvels). Plus, it provided official names and release dates for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. These movies filled in two of the “Untitled Marvel” projects on Disney’s 2023 release calendar.
According to the movie release calendar that Disney published back in March, there is still one other “Untitled Marvel” title on the calendar for next year, in October (tbd if Marvel fills this spot or not). There are also still two slots in 2023, one of which could go to the Fantastic Four project that’s teased at the very end of today’s video.
While today’s video was a clear bid to encourage fans to head back to movie theaters, Black Widow will be available to watch at home on Disney+ this July for an additional fee. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Sept. 3) will be the first Phase Four Marvel movie to premiere exclusively in theaters.
Here is the Marvel Studios release calendar as it stands now:
- Black Widow: July 9 (also on Disney+ Premiere Access)
- Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Sept. 3
- Eternals: Nov. 5
- Spider-Man: No Way Home: Dec. 17
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: March 25, 2022
- Thor: Love and Thunder: May 6, 2022
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: July 8, 2022
- “Untitled Marvel” Film: Oct. 7, 2022
- The Marvels: Nov. 11, 2022
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: Feb. 17, 2023
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: May 5, 2023
- “Untitled Marvel” Film: July 28, 2023
- “Untitled Marvel” Film: Nov. 3, 2023
