Disney Just Announced 26 Movies Through 2023. What Does That Mean For Star Wars?

Hot off the trail of letting fans know that Avengers: Infinity War would be getting a unified global release (which is about a week early for Americans), Disney has revealed a tentative schedule for movies for the next five years. However, new Star Wars projects are nowhere to be seen on this list – which may ultimately illuminate when Lucasfilm is actually interested in dropping new movies.

 

This absolutely-massive list of films between now and around this same point in 2023 contains no less than 56 titles, 26 of which were revealed in this press release. Only one of the new additions actually has a title (the DisneyNature documentary, natch), but just to be thorough, we’ll list every single project that has either been added or moved in one place:

  • Black Panther – 2/16/18
  • A Wrinkle in Time – 3/9/18
  • Avengers: Infinity War – 4/27/18
  • Solo: A Star Wars Story – 5/25/18
  • The Incredibles 2 – 6/15/18
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp – 7/6/18
  • Christopher Robin – 8/3/18
  • The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – 11/2/18
  • Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 – 11/21/18
  • Mary Poppins Returns – 12/25/18
  • Captain Marvel – 3/8/19
  • Dumbo – 3/29/19
  • Penguins – 4/19/19
  • Avengers 4 – 5/3/19
  • Aladdin – 5/24/19
  • Toy Story 4 – 6/21/19
  • The Lion King – 7/19/19
  • Artemis Fowl – 8/9/19
  • Untitled Disney Live Action I – 10/4/19
  • Untitled Disney Live Action II – 11/8/19
  • Frozen 2 – 11/27/19
  • Star Wars Episode IX – 12/20/19
  • Untitled Disney Live Action III – 2/14/20
  • Untitled Pixar Animation I – 3/6/20
  • Mulan – 3/27/20
  • Untitled Marvel Movie I – 5/1/20
  • Untitled Disney Live Action IV – 5/29/20
  • Untitled Pixar Animation II – 6/19/20
  • Indiana Jones 5 – 7/10/20
  • Untitled Marvel Movie II – 7/31/20
  • Untitled Disney Live Action V – 10/9/20
  • Untitled Marvel Movie III – 11/6/20
  • Untitled Disney Animation I – 11/25/20
  • Untitled Disney Live Action VI – 12/23/20
  • Untitled Disney Live Action VII – 2/12/21
  • Untitled Disney Live Action VIII – 3/12/21
  • Untitled Marvel Movie IV – 5/7/21
  • Untitled Disney Live Action IX – 5/28/21
  • Untitled Pixar Animation III – 6/18/21
  • Untitled Disney Live Action X – 7/9/21
  • Untitled Marvel Movie V – 7/30/21
  • Untitled Disney Live Action XI – 10/8/21
  • Untitled Marvel Movie VI – 11/5/21
  • Untitled Disney Animation II – 11/24/21
  • Untitled Disney Live Action XII – 12/22/21
  • Untitled Marvel Movie VII – 2/18/22
  • Untitled Pixar Animation IV – 3/18/22
  • Untitled Marvel Movie VIII – 5/6/22
  • Untitled Disney Live Action XIII – 5/27/22
  • Untitled Pixar Animation V – 6/17/22
  • Untitled Disney Live Action XIV – 7/8/22
  • Untitled Marvel Movie IX – 7/29/22
  • Untitled Disney Live Action XV – 10/7/22
  • Untitled Disney Live Action XVI – 11/4/22
  • Untitled Disney Animation III – 11/23/22
  • Untitled Disney Live Action XVII – 12/16/22
  • Untitled Disney Live Action XVIII – 2/17/23

 

So, for those keeping count at home, that’s 6 new Marvel movies, 3 new animated films from Disney Animation and Pixar, and 17 live-action movies. While it’s daunting to hear about nearly half the slate added now, 55 movies in 5 years (56 if you want to count last month’s Black Panther) is actually a fairly standard commitment for a studio of this size. But wait! There’s more!

 

 

This lineup of films does not include Disney’s basically-done deal with 20th Century Fox, as that still has to go through regulative checks from the United States government that may last between the end of this year and the middle 2019 (presuming that Comcast passively-aggressively trying to complicate the deal in a corporate play doesn’t create a bunch of headaches for Disney and Fox). Nor does it account for any Spider-Man movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Sony Pictures distribute those even if a Disney subsidiary co-produces them, and as such they fall on their slates. Nor does it account for original Disney movies that will be developed for their streaming service, of which the previously-announced mid-budget movies Magic Camp and Nicole are two. Collectively, all of that should double the sizes of their annual slates post-Fox-merger – but it’s telling that the Mouse House is not only confident enough to show their hands to competitors so far ahead of everyone else, they’re confident enough to do so before potentially securing even more release dates ahead of time.

 

The one thing that you might notice is that none of these projects are explicitly Lucasfilm projects, and while that features stuff like Indiana Jones and maybe a new IP or two developed some soft sunny day, let’s not kid ourselves here: Star Wars is what really matters to Disney. And they’re not going to not make Star Wars movies for half a decade when they already have at least nine in development right now (which, for those of you not paying attention, include Solo: A Star Wars StoryStar Wars Episode IX, the as-of-yet not-officially-announced Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett movies, an entire trilogy of films made with the supervision of Rian Johnson, and at least two movies in a series produced by the team behind Game of Thrones). Of course, there’s the possibility that Disney is just reserving some of these dates for the sake of reserving them and then filling them in with Star Wars goodness later. The reverse has actually happened with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales taking the spot originally intended for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and something similar looks to be in the works with Aladdin and Star Wars Episode IX.

 

With that in mind, here’s a hot take on what we might expect from Star Wars in a scenario in which the Lucasfilm franchise replaces a generic live-action slot.

 

 

First of all, Disney will absolutely not be releasing Star Wars movies in the Decembers of 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025 (although we won’t need to talk about the last two today, since Disney isn’t planning that far ahead). Why? Because if all goes well for James Cameron, then the Avatar sequels are going to finally arrive in those respective windows. Regardless of what you think of the 2009 movie (Feel old yet?), the fact of the matter is that it helped redefine 3-D in cinema and became the only sci-fi franchise to outgross a Star Wars movie, and even if Avatar 2 most likely won’t come close to making $2B worldwide like its predecessor, it should still be able to break the bank.

 

It’s definitely in Disney’s best interests that Avatar does well – regardless of the whole Fox acquisition, they’ve got a park expansion to Animal Kingdom to sell, and having new content to expand it with is in their best interest considering that Animal Kingdom is one of their less-popular parks. With the Fox acquisition in mind, it’s an even bigger deal: Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated that he wants Avatar to become an Star Wars-scale franchise, and James Cameron is on-board with Disney already because of the Avatar portion of the park. Considering that Star Wars isn’t catching on in China, but Avatar made a fortune over there and helped turn the Chinese box office into a force to be reckoned with, it’s in Disney’s best interest that they rekindle the spark that the original Avatar left.

 

 

But aside from Battlefield Smurfs, we can safely presume that Disney will keep Star Wars at a distance from its other big franchise – at least for the time being. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an absolute powerhouse as a brand and it’s looking like Black Panther might surpass the likes of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Avengers at the domestic market, which is absolutely remarkable. Disney would be wise to not have their franchises risk cannibalizing one another (a contributing factor, I believe, in moving Avengers: Infinity War‘s release date forward a week) – and as such, I think we may be able to rule out Star Wars release windows in the Mays of 2021 and 2022. However, I will concede that the late-May release window for 2020 looks like prime real estate for a Star Wars film if one comes out that year, simply because the other windows they could use aren’t as favorable. (Lucasfilm may or may not have their hands full with Indiana Jones 5, but thus far they haven’t outright denied that a 2020 movie could happen.)

 

So now that we’ve ruled out a bunch of options, let’s look at what release windows look great for Star Wars. Aside from the May 2020 date I already spoke of, October 2020 seems like an unusual place to put a Star Wars movie, but it would still be appropriate – Star Wars is going to be a hit regardless of what time it’s going to release on the calendar. The only issue there is that there’s currently a Fox-produced Marvel movie released around the same time, although I think it’s likely that any Fox-Marvel movie that’s in development at the time Disney’s acquisition gets approved will likely be rescheduled, scrapped, or reworked to fit into the MCU.

 

For 2021, February and March do have competition in the form of some an event film from WB, along with the tenth and supposedly final Fast & Furious movie in April, but right now the slate is clear enough that a Star Wars movie would fit. There’s also a July slot available in addition to the late-May slot, although both are just around the time that more Marvel movies are released. 2022 is basically open game for Star Wars, given that no Avatar movie comes out in December of that year, only two movies from Universal have been scheduled, and virtually every other unlabeled live-action release date for Disney films look solid for Star Wars, even if two risk running into Marvel. Beyond what’s on the schedule, though, Lucasfilm can afford to get bold with their release strategy – they could try releasing Star Wars movies in traditionally “quiet” periods like January/February and August/September in order to take advantage of a lack of serious competition. Exhibitors would certainly like that, considering that the “Summer Blockbuster” model of old seems to be all but replaced by a “Year-Round” model that has its own perks.

 

I personally think it’s unlikely that they’ll skip years for Star Wars after this point, aside from the possibility of 2020 not having a movie (which, with Disney’s streaming service fully-operational at that point, will probably be they year that we finally get live-action Star Wars on TV). And I also feel as though we might be headed into a few years where we see more than one Star Wars movie get released, just because plenty’s in development and Lucasfilm’s expectations for the future of the brand are probably a little more modest than we might imagine. (Still hugely successful, of course, but not necessarily billion-dollar-grossers – and that’s fine!) But in any case, Lucasfilm seems to want to avoid announcing things before they’re ready to do so, and for now I might imagine that there’s already enough on their plate before they make any more plans public. Hopefully, we’ll find out more before the end of the year.

 

+ posts

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

56 thoughts on “Disney Just Announced 26 Movies Through 2023. What Does That Mean For Star Wars?

  • March 4, 2018 at 8:45 pm
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    Star Wars is superior The MCU and Avatar

    • March 4, 2018 at 9:57 pm
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      Superior in what way?

    • March 4, 2018 at 10:09 pm
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      It was prior to TFA/TLJ/RO/Solo, now it’s falling behind, this is not an opinion, look at the financial outlooks, the Star Wars brand is hurt, regardless of what the people who like these new Star Wars movies want you to believe.

      • March 4, 2018 at 11:00 pm
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        Avatar’s brand is better than Star Wars? Even with declining retail sales, that’s a stretch. That franchise hasn’t been in the public eye in nearly a decade.

        – Pomojema

    • March 4, 2018 at 10:25 pm
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      I like Star Wars more, but “superior” is far too hyperbolic.

  • March 4, 2018 at 8:51 pm
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    So the haters will be listened, after Ep IX there wont be more SW movies for a loong time. You will have Avatar and Indiana (let Indiana rest in peace…)

    • March 4, 2018 at 9:31 pm
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      Yep, the haters are the reason why there are so many other strong franchises competing with SW and why Lucasfilm hasn’t come up with any specific ideas for Obi Wan/Boba Fett/young Yoda. The global crime syndicate of trolls did it again. Which is also totally relevant to the article above.

      • March 4, 2018 at 11:00 pm
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        Global crime syndicate? Aren’t you being a little overly dramatic?

        • March 4, 2018 at 11:01 pm
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          He’s being sarcastic. Hard to convey online – a curse of online communication.

          – Pomojema

          • March 4, 2018 at 11:02 pm
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            Ahh, I see you’re right. Thanks for the clarification.

        • March 4, 2018 at 11:37 pm
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          Not at all. If anything I wasn’t dramatic enough. My research indicates that troll syndicate works closely together with the Illuminati and the Lizzard people. Their goal is to skew every single online poll in this galaxy. They possess such an elaborate and powerful network that they even manage to influence polls on multiple small and independent movie websites all over Europe. Their ultimate goal is to lower the Rotten Tomatoes score for TLH but for some reason I have yet to discover they didn’t to the same to TFA or R1 but my theory is that they suddenly must have gotten misogynistic and racist within the last year or so. Also whenever you see a negative poll they are responsible for it but whenever a poll is positive they numbers are trustworthy. So yeah, I don’t think I’m overly dramatic or irrational or jumping to conclusions without evidence here. Unlike people who claim that Disney paid off the critics I base my science on solid facts!

          • March 4, 2018 at 11:57 pm
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            How do the Freemasons and Majestic 12 factor into all of this?

          • March 5, 2018 at 12:14 am
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            What would they have to do with any of this? Don’t be so ridiculous this is science not some whacky conspiracy theory!

      • March 4, 2018 at 11:42 pm
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        He also thinks anyone who didn’t like the TLJ are no different to global terrorists. It’s all one big conspiracy! They’re all in it together!!

        • March 4, 2018 at 11:45 pm
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          Pssshhht they can hear you think! Better add another layer of tinfoil!

          • March 4, 2018 at 11:49 pm
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            I’ve got 6 layers already and special glasses that allow me to see the aliens.

    • March 4, 2018 at 10:24 pm
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      Even the haters end up paying.

    • March 4, 2018 at 11:01 pm
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      I’m perfectly okay with that.

      Until Lucasfilm can change leadership and get rid of these awful SJW writers, I’d prefer that no content be made.

    • March 4, 2018 at 11:51 pm
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      The Lucas model was fine of a Trilogy a decade and then give fans a break for awhile. Less is more sometimes. I don’t really care about the standalone movies as I’m a Saga fan.

    • March 4, 2018 at 11:54 pm
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      They will wait until this haters grow old and then they will release everything.

    • March 5, 2018 at 12:13 am
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      After Episode IX, I will have no more interest in seeing anything that has to do with the Skywalkers, Darth Vader, Han Solo or Obi Wan Kenobi. It’s time for something new. No more fan service festivals. No more endless generations of the Skywalker clan becoming Jedi, turning to the dark side, getting redeemed, blah, blah blah… The only way that anyone is going to care about Star Wars going into the future is if they give us something genuinely fresh and new.

      • March 5, 2018 at 1:40 am
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        So agree here. We are at that fork in the road.

      • March 5, 2018 at 4:55 am
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        If they can’t find something compelling that doesn’t lean on the OT after 9 bows then…oi, I can’t believe after all these decades I’m even saying such a thing, but…I think I’m out on this franchise. A criticism that’s being levelled more and more at Star Wars these days is that, trappings of a whole galaxy to play in to the contrary, it’s really a limited, small world the franchise plays in. I don’t want that to be true, but they’ve really got to stretch out and take some chances soon

        • March 5, 2018 at 1:36 pm
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          Yes! Explore this galaxy! Go outside the comfort zones. I know people like to claim that some of the newer movies really changed it up… but honestly they didn’t. I love the OT as a setting… but if it means we’re just going to keep making the same story loops…

          I know some people may not agree with Filoni’s take on the Force but at least it was new. I’ll give credit to George on that one as well since he seemed to start the idea off.

          Maybe they want to keep Star Wars movies sort of adventure fluff. However their streaming service could dig deep… Audiences may be expecting of a more adult examination of the universe.

      • March 5, 2018 at 4:55 pm
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        Seriously man SW is about jedis, Sits, evil against good. And who are you ? The voice of everyone here ?

        • March 6, 2018 at 12:34 am
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          Did I ever claim to be the voice of everyone? I believe I was talking about what I wanted to see, made obvious when I said, “After Episode IX, I…..” And I never said anything about not wanting to see Jedi, Sith, evil vs. good. I was talking about specific characters that three trilogies have already been made about, made obvious when I specifically listed their names. Next time, read a person’s comment and try to make some sense of what is being expressed before you attempt a response.

    • March 5, 2018 at 1:38 am
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      Naaa. But I like those titles.

  • March 4, 2018 at 10:57 pm
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    The Bantha Trilogy is coming soon to a theater in your galaxy…

    • March 4, 2018 at 11:03 pm
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      I was hoping for a Salacious Crumb trilogy.

      • March 5, 2018 at 1:36 am
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        Rancor trilogy.

  • March 4, 2018 at 11:04 pm
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    OT: The Japanese poster for Solo is actually pretty cool.

    Anyone know where I could order that?

  • March 4, 2018 at 11:53 pm
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    Just shove Daniel Logan in the Boba Fett costume at some point, and I’ll be happy as can be!

  • March 5, 2018 at 12:13 am
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    After Solo, I think Lucasfilm need to create their own cinematic universe. Take the story way back to the past, have origin stories that connect together into ensemble pieces, but not oversaturate it like a Marvel movie. There needs to be a structured flow of interconnected episodes. That should be the focus for the next 15-20 years, and then revisit the Skywalker saga with episodes X to XII.

    • March 5, 2018 at 9:44 am
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      “Cinematic Universe”? Ugh, please, no.

      – Pomojema

    • March 5, 2018 at 2:54 pm
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      They already have one.

  • March 5, 2018 at 12:16 am
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    Ugh.. it’s all about the mighty dollar. Disney needs to slow down with the Star Wars movies and do a better job thinking things through. Quality should always trump quantity (And it’s next to impossible to have both.)

  • March 5, 2018 at 12:18 am
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    Yeah, a trilogy a decade would be ideal. But there seems to be a demand for spin-offs;

  • March 5, 2018 at 2:22 am
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    I wish people would stop assuming that an Obi Wan Kenobi movie is a definite thing.

    • March 5, 2018 at 2:35 am
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      And to stop assuming I’m really dead.

    • March 5, 2018 at 7:03 am
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      It kind of is. Ewan is up for it. Disney knows how much people want it and Disney wants more money. From Disney’s point of view its a no brainer. The only thing that will stop it is if Ewan dies

      • March 5, 2018 at 3:44 pm
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        Why would you tempt The Force in this way?

    • March 5, 2018 at 9:40 am
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      Omega-Underground said it’s in development, and they also said that Simon Kinberg is back to working on a spin-off… Which was just confirmed in a trade. So yeah, they’re working on it.

      – Pomojema

  • March 5, 2018 at 2:42 am
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    I’m in heaven. Somebody spoon me

  • March 5, 2018 at 7:07 am
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    As much as i HATE the prequels and hated Jar Jar, I would seriously like to see a Jar Jar film. Jar Jar was VERY important because he basically made Palpatine Emperor (a major reason i hate the prequels) but would be intetested to see what became of him afterwards and to see his demise. A very painful horrible death hopefully

    • March 5, 2018 at 2:54 pm
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      It’s in Empire’s End

    • March 5, 2018 at 3:43 pm
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      Jar Jar deserves a little more respect than a horrible painful death, son. He is a tragic character, and I think even his story in Empire’s End was a little too sad for ol’ Jar Jar. I never quite understood the pure hatred for him. He is a fool, yes but Jar Jar isnt any more foolish in that moment than anyone else who was bamboozled by Palpatine. He thought he was doing what was right in the moment. He had no reason to distrust him. Also I find it odd that people on Naboo blame him for his role in Palpatine’s ultimate plan when im sure most people on Naboo probably were very supportive of The Chancellor who was a native of their planet. It’s just easier to blame the dumb Gungan for their problems.

      • March 5, 2018 at 4:07 pm
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        Yes, I can’t see the reason of so much hate for a honest character, a being of trully pure heart, no evil inside. In all is naivete and clumsy ways, he helped the Republic A LOT, as we can see in the Clone Wars series. Always loyal, a true friend. I honest like the character (even understanding the bad overuse of him in Ep. I, Lucas fault). I don’t know, I just like to see the underdog thrive on and succeeds sometimes. It’s my personal take.

  • March 5, 2018 at 10:08 am
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    Black Panther is simply a far better and more satisfying film than TLJ. That’s why it is doing great at the Box Office. Story, structure, tone…. all things BP has done better.

    • March 5, 2018 at 5:17 pm
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      The Last Jedi did great at the box office too.

    • March 8, 2018 at 7:47 am
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      I loved Black Panther. I also loved Last Jedi. They are completely different properties and stories, however. BP is an origin story for a superhero. Last Jedi is the middle chapter of the third Star Wars trilogy. It was designed to take risks, change perceptions and challenge the audience with bold story/ thematic choices. Yes, it’s a less ‘satisfying’ movie, if all you want is comic-book style heroes and villains action, but who said all movies need to satisfy us in the same way. Star Wars is doing great business, and the Last Jedi holds up to repeat viewings because it has depth and character. It will hold up as the middle part of a trilogy. And it will be remembered for its bold choices. Whether or not everyone liked how it felt or satisfied them in the movies is less important in episodic content. TFA had BP’s job, and it succeeded.

  • March 5, 2018 at 3:22 pm
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    I think the new dates announced are for MCU movies.

  • March 5, 2018 at 5:43 pm
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    I think an ancient Sith army should attack Earth in an Avengers movie!!!! 😉

  • March 5, 2018 at 7:32 pm
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    “Untitled Disney Live Action” really has a lot of sequels planned out in advance

    • March 5, 2018 at 10:59 pm
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      Live Action does sound like a great new franchise for Disney to go along side Star Wars and Marvel. Will be interesting to see how all these sequels stack up.

  • March 6, 2018 at 7:27 am
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    I can’t even… wait… what? [catches breath].. too…much…stuff!!!!!

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