This mishap can be forgiven as it is impossible to predict the future. What I mean is be careful where you set your release date. Studios are fickle things. They are always changing their mind on everything. They announce one release date only to change it to a different date. Sometimes unforeseen events cause these changes. For example, Star Wars Episode 7 was set for Memorial Weekend 2015, but major script changes forced Disney to push it back to December 18, 2015. This change forced Duncan Jones's Warcraft, based on the insanely popular World of Warcraft game, for a 2016 release date. Marvel's Ant-man was set for a November 3rd, 2015 release date, but Bond 24 was also set for that same weekend. Not wanting major competition, Marvel changed the date to July 31. Worst Offender: Kick-Ass 2: As previously stated, release dates and surprise hits are unpredictable. KA 2, unfortunately, was released the same weekend as Lee Daniel's The Butler along with Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and Red 2. The Butler opened to a $24.6 million debut and held the top spot for three consecutive weeks. KA2 debuted in 5th place with only a measly $13.3 million lower than its predecessor's opening gross. The chances of a final film are, as Mark Miller put it, "in the pipeline." Best Example: Iron Man 3: Disney and Marvel have cornered the market for early summer releases. It has proven to be a winning formula with The Avengers and Iron Man 3 both grossing a billion dollars. All studios now know not to release a blockbuster close to early May. The Avengers: Age of Utron will be released May 1, 2015 ahead of the enormous batch of summer blockbusters.
