The movie doesn’t need the box office help, but Marvel Studios should move the release date for Avengers 4 up. There were plenty of surprises that came with Avengers: Infinity War, but possibly the biggest came before the movie hit theaters. Following a seemingly random tweet from Robert Downey Jr., Marvel announced that Avengers: Infinity War was moving up a week to hit theaters worldwide on the same day. The move paid off in a major way for the nineteenth MCU movie, and is exactly why it needs to happen again but with the followup.

There were two major reasons why Marvel moved up Avengers: Infinity War in the first place that go hand-in-hand. The first factor was Marvel’s interest in debuting the movie on the same day nearly worldwide. While some countries got it a day early and only Russia and China had to wait, Infinity War dropped April 27th instead of May 4th. This resulted in Avengers: Infinity War breaking box office records, among them being the biggest worldwide opening weekend. However, the key reason was so they didn’t have to risk spoilers surfacing online a full week ahead of when the US would’ve been able to see it. Preserving the deaths and the ultimate ending was a major factor, and it stands to reason that Avengers 4 will have even more surprises.

Now that half of the universe’s population is gone, it is up to the remaining heroes to somehow end Avengers 4 as the victors while also bringing back most of those who died. It won’t be an easy task and the indications from set photos point to time travel as one possible solution. If that is the case, there are sure to be even more spoilers along the way that would undoubtedly make their way online before most of the population had a chance to see the movie. Between who dies, who returns, and every else in between, trying to maintain Avengers 4’s secrets should be just as big of a priority for the studio.

Moving Avengers 4 up would also spread the film out from more competition. Currently, April 26th (the last weekend in April in 2019) only has one movie slated to hit theaters. That movie is a historical drama starring Keira Knightley titled The Aftermath (which, fittingly, could make for a decent title for Avengers 4). Even going a week prior doesn’t boast too strong of competition, but that move would require shifts worldwide. Avengers 4 is currently slated for a May 3 debut domestically but an April 26 bow in the UK. THR even listed Avengers 4’s release as April 2019 just recently, but didn’t specify if that was announced at CineEurope or if they were simply referring to the international launch.

Moving Avengers 4 to the last week of April gives it one extra week of box office dominance, which could be especially helpful in a crowded summer season. The May 2019 release slate includes Detective Pikachu, John Wick: Chapter 3, Disney’s own Aladdin, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. With so many high-profile releases, Avengers 4’s legs could be chipped away faster than Avengers: Infinity War - which had three weeks of dominance before Deadpool 2 and then Solo: A Star Wars Story came to theaters.

Moving Avengers 4 up wouldn’t just benefit Avengers 4, but could have a few ripple effects for Disney overall. As previously mentioned, their live-action remake of Aladdin hits theaters just three weeks after, so Disney could risk cannibalizing themselves. However, it would also give them a better chance to reinvigorate Captain Marvel’s box office, which comes out in the beginning of March. Wakanda’s role in Infinity War gave Black Panther an extra push at the box office, so with Brie Larson appearing in Avengers 4, viewers who may have missed her solo movie (or just want to check it out again) could revisit the movie sooner with a new date.

It is ultimately up to Disney and Marvel Studios to decide what to do with Avengers 4’s release date, but they’ve already set the president on making moves. Avengers: Infinity War just crossed $2 billion in this release slot after all and with no competition around, they’re just costing themselves a free weekend by not taking it.

MORE: Avengers 4 Is Revising the Battle of New York - But How?

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