8. DC's Shazam! Is Surrounded (And Buried?)
Now, to suggest that Marvel are doing anything with what might happen to DC as a direct result in mind would probably be laughed out of Kevin Feige's office. After all, why would a lion be concerned about a hyena? But, Marvel must be aware of DC's growing presence on the big screen and the rise in competition. It can't have felt particularly nice to see their biggest rivals rolling out their hero v hero comic book movie event in March 2016 before Civil War comes out in May. That might not affect the box office, particularly, because Civil War is an entrenched brand already and is set for a billion dollar box office draw, but if it was a younger property, there may have been tangible effect. So maybe there is something in the move to release the first comic book movie of the year in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In all cases, DC will be releasing a new stand-alone - Wonder Woman, then The Flash then Shazam! - a short time after Marvel do the same thing. It will be surprising if that doesn't have some impact on how DC markets its films.