Will ‘The Punisher’ Affect The ‘Justice League’ Box Office?

Marvel finally revealed the long-awaited premiere date for The Punisher, and Frank Castle's solo series hits Netflix November 17 — the same day Warner Bros. releases superhero epic Justice League to theaters.

After Marvel pulled their Punisher panel from New York Comic Con earlier this month — a move that came as result of the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas — Marvel and Netflix were rumored to have delayed the violent series, which was said (but never confirmed) to drop on the streaming service in "mid-October."

According to the same report, Marvel and Netflix were eyeing a "late fall" debut for The Punisher, which follows gun-toting vigilante Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) on a one-man clean-up mission as he mercilessly slays criminals following the brutal murders of his family.

Marvel withheld the release date for a frustratingly long time — trailers and posters carried a black "redacted" line where the release date would be — and whether or not November 17 was always the planned release date, it's hard not to think dropping the newest highly-anticipated Marvel/Netflix series the same day Warner Bros. debuts their latest DC Comics blockbuster wasn't a deliberate move.

Both projects have their hype: The Punisher follows the well-received second season of Daredevil, where Bernthal made his debut as the popular character. Bernthal's turn as Frank Castle was highly praised, and it was fans' calls for a series that helped push Marvel and Netflix into moving the project forward.

Justice League unites the biggest heroes of the DC Comics pantheon — Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg — for the first time ever, making it a cinematic event on par with The Avengers. Plus, it's the return of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman to the big screen, a few months after audiences proved they couldn't get enough of the Amazonian warrior, putting the critically-praised blockbuster among the highest grossing movies of the year.

The question is: with The Punisher taking aim at Justice League, will the Marvel series hurt Justice League's box office?

Our guess is that anyone who's planning to see Justice League will see it regardless of what's playing at home. Why pick one over the other when you can see both? It's easier to stay home, load up Netflix and binge watch, but the big screen appeal of an action-packed blockbuster like Justice League on the big screen might be too appealing to pass up — even if you'll have to pull yourself away from Netflix for a few hours. But just a few.

Our pick? See both. The Punisher and Justice League arrive November 17.