Warner Bros. Blinks in Marvel Showdown: 'Batman v Superman' Avoids 'Captain America 3'

The studio has also revealed release dates for an entire slate of movies based on DC Comics

By Jeff Sneider and Todd Cunningham

Just days after Marvel showed the strength of its brand with a $94 million haul for Guardians of the Galaxy, Warner Bros. has decided to release Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 3D on March 25, 2016, avoiding a high-profile showdown with Captain America 3 on May 6, 2016.

Batman v Superman is viewed as the cornerstone of Warners’ DC Comics Universe and the studio couldn’t afford to leave anything to chance with its release date.

It was inevitable that one studio would blink, as it never made sense for Hollywood to open two blockbuster superhero movies against each other.

A Warner Bros. insider explained the decision thusly — “Not flinching – it’s a fantastic corridor for us.”

The Hunger Games is just one example of a recent blockbuster movie that has opened in March.

Also read: Why Hollywood Is Setting Movie Release Dates 5 Years in Advance

Warner Bros, also announced release dates for many other titles, including several DC-related movies.

Batman v Superman has taken the release date of the Gerard Butler movie Geostorm, which now has an unspecified 2016 release date.

The rest of the slate looks like this:

Untitled DC Film  - 08/05/16

Untitled DC Film  - 06/23/17

Untitled DC Film  - 11/17/17

Untitled DC Film  - 03/23/18

Untitled DC Film  - 07/27/18

Untitled WB Event Film - 11/16/18

Untitled DC Film  - 04/05/19

Untitled DC Film  - 06/14/19

Untitled DC Film  - 04/03/20

Untitled DC Film  - 06/19/20

Untitled WB Event Film - 11/20/20