When Warner Bros. picked a May 6, 2016 release date for DC Comics’ Batman vs. Superman, they knew they could face some heated box office competition. Now it’s beginning to look like the film is poised to go head-to-head in what could become the biggest superhero showdown in box office history.
Marvel Studios has announced that they plan to release the third film in the Captain America series on the same date. This comes as no surprise because Marvel has been on a trend of releasing a superhero movie on the first weekend of the summer every year since Iron Man debuted in theaters in 2008. Even though Warner Bros. confirmed the date first, neither studio seems like they want to budge from the summer’s top grossing weekend.
Can they just play fair and battle it out head-to-head?
While they could, it wouldn’t be ideal. If both films end up going head-to-head, it would only hurt their box office performances and result in both films making less money in the end. There are currently several weekends available in the summer of 2016 for either studio to release their film (if one decides to move).
Captain America: The First Avenger grossed $371 million worldwide when it was released in 2011. It’s sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is on track to debut with $80 million on April 4.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are currently in negotiations to return for Captain America 3.
Check out the trailer below:
