Thor, Captain America, And Avengers Movies Delayed

Marvel Studios has officially announced that the release dates for some of its upcoming self-produced feature films have been moved back to as far as 2012. As of now, Thor, a live action film about the famed Norse god of thunder, will hit theatres on June 17, 2011, eleven months after the film’s original release date.Captain America’s big screen debut has been moved back two months. The First Avenger: Captain America is now scheduled for release on Jul 22, 2011. And in a move that is sure to anger quite a few fans, Marvel Studios has also pushed back the highly anticipated Avengers film.Those fans waiting for Marvel’s greatest superheroes to team up on the big screen for the first time must now wait another year. The Avengers movie is now scheduled for release on May 4, 2012.In a statement by the chairman of Marvel Studios, David Maisel, the reason for the scheduling delays of the films is for Marvel to optimally expand its marketing potential over the course of the next three years.”It maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character The Avengers film in 2012,” said Maisel.The chairman makes a valid point.Had Marvel Studios not moved the release days for The Avengers movie and the Captain America picture, the two films would be have been released within two months of each other. By giving the two films a little breathing room, Marvel would be preventing an over-saturation of Marvel superheroes. Oddly, however, the new release date of Thor is within a month of the new date of the Captain America movie. On top of that, Marvel also announced that Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man 4 will be released in theatres on May 6, 2011. So, don’t be surprised if Marvel announces further changes.There is some good news for fans of Marvel Studios. Iron Man 2’s release date of May 7th, 2010 is still on track. Instead of another scheduling delay, Marvel may even move the date up a few days at the last minute in an attempt to capitalize on stronger opening week ticket sales for the Iron Man sequel.