'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice' Moves Release to Avoid 'Captain America 3'

In order to avoid a direct confrontation with Captain America 3, Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is moving up from May 6, 2016, to March 25, the beginning of Easter weekend.

Batman v. Superman, which stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, was widely expected to move, since Marvel Studios and Disney had claimed the May 2016 weekend first. Warner Bros. and DC Comics announced the new date Wednesday alongside dates for nine untitled DC Comics titles through June 2020. That means two superhero movies a year from Warner Bros., beginning in 2016.

With the move, Warners and DC are essentially declaring war on Marvel and Disney, which have been the most prolific suppliers of superhero titles.

The new dates announced by Warners are Aug. 8, 2016; June 23, 2017; Nov. 17, 2017; March 23, 2018; July 27, 2018; April 5, 2019; June 14, 2019; April 3, 2020; and June 19, 2020. The batch of films is likely to include multiple Justice League titles and a Wonder Woman spinoff.

Warners also laid claim to Nov. 16, 2018, and Nov. 20, 2020, likely for the second and third installments in J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts triology (the first film hits theaters in 2016).

As a result of the Batman v. Superman move to March 25, the previously scheduled Geostorm is moving off of that date (no new release date for that film has been set).