The "Man of Steel" sequel is being pushed back from its July 17, 2015 release date to summer 2016.
That's an entire 10 months you'll have to wait to see Batman and the son of Krypton on screen together for the first time.
CNN reports the "Batman / Superman" movie was pushed back in order to provide "filmmakers time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story."
That's not good news, hinting at troubles behind-the-scenes of the new film.
Forbes reports "creative differences" over the nature of the movie are a reason for the push. (Is it a "Man of Steel" sequel or a setup for a "Justice League" film?)
Joining Henry Cavill as Superman will be Ben Affleck as the new Caped Crusader. "Man of Steel" director Zack Snyder is back working on the film with screenwriter David S. Goyer who wrote "The Dark Knight" trilogy.
The DC superheroes will now go head-to-head with an untitled
Before, the "Batman/Superman" film was set to open more than two months after the "Avengers" sequel, giving audiences some breathing room from a big superhero flick.
Is it a smart scheduling choice? Sure. Historically, blockbuster films don't come out until the beginning of the summer season and the studio doesn't want to make fanboys wait an entire year for the film.
The pushed back release date of the "Batman / Superman" path leaves "The Avengers" sequel as the most-anticipated superhero movie of 2015.
The third weekend of July has proven successful again and again Warner Bros. with the release of previous Batman installments from director Christopher Nolan.
And now both
If one or the other film opened on any other weekend, each film would easily win the box-office weekend. Instead, in some cases, they'll be forcing fans to choose between team DC Comics and Marvel. Although this could lead to a record box-office weekend, it may also mean lower first-weekend grosses for both films.
We'd be surprised if both Disney and Warner Bros. released a big tentpole on the same day.
If anything, don't expect Disney to move their untitled film (at least if its a sequel to an already established franchise). That first weekend in May has worked for them with both "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3" earning more than $1 billion at theaters.
Right now, Disney has nothing to worry about. In addition to the Marvel franchise they have Lucasfilm's "Star Wars" (debuting next year) and new Pixar films. In 2016, the "Finding Nemo" sequel is expected to hit the big screen in June.
It made sense to release the "Batman / Superman" movie next year when Disney has such a strong slate of films - the "Avengers" sequel along with the new "Star Wars" film will both be huge for the Mouse House.
This was supposed to be the big summer showdown between Disney and Marvel.
With Warner Bros. releasing a "Peter Pan" film in its place, it leaves a clear path for Disney to conquer at the box office next year.