Marvel Studios Stacks 2028 with Four Theatrical Releases, So What Happened To Their Scaling Back Plan?

Marvel is apparently going big again in 2028, adding a fourth film to its release calendar for that year for December 15. The other dates set for that year include February 18, May 5, and November 10.

This new slot has fans speculating about what films will fill these dates. Is it finally time for the X-Men to officially enter the spotlight? Could Blade rise from development hell? Or is Marvel keeping a bigger surprise under wraps?

Variety broke the news of the additional release, but didn’t reveal the film’s title because Marvel hasn’t either. What we do know is that several projects are officially in development, but currently date-less: Shang-Chi 2, Black Panther 3, Armor Wars, and of course, the highly-anticipated X-Men movie.

Other movies that are rumored include Avengers: Secret Wars Part 2, Eternals 2, and even a potential Scarlet Witch solo movie as possibilities.

The thing about releasing four Marvel films in one year is that it goes against the plan they’ve talked about in regards to scaling back. Disney CEO Bob Iger has publicly said the company is scaling back, saying:

"We're slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four, and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two or at the maximum three, and we're working hard on what that path is, we've got a couple of good films in '25 and then we're heading to more Avengers, which we're extremely excited about."

So… what gives? Is this four-movie year a temporary exception, a reshuffling, or a sign that plans are still very much in flux behind the scenes?

Whatever the answer is, 2028 just became a key year for the MCU, and it will be interesting to see what four movies fill it up.