Marvel Studios is set to roll its curtain down on Phase 4, and has revealed future plans for its cinematic universe at the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con 2022. The studio announced an exciting line-up of live-action and animated projects in its next phases from 2023-2025.
Phases 5 and 6 feature new titles with familiar faces, starting with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and leading up to not just one but two back-to-back Avengers movies with much to explore in between in the Multiverse.
If you’ve missed those announcements and want more information, here is everything you need to know about Marvel’s latest slate of projects set to release on the big screen:
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release date: February 17, 2023
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the beginning of Phase 5. That film is expected to reveal more mysteries of the pivotal Quantum Realm universe; it will be the first official introduction of Jonathan Majors as Kang (the big bad of this Multiverse Saga) and will debut a new young hero when Scott Lang’s daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) suits up as well.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release date: May 5, 2023
James Gunn will be ending his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy with this film – and he and the cast and crew are letting fans know in no uncertain terms that it is going to be an ending. The movie will be introducing some key cosmic figures – Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) and the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) – and it’s here that we begin to see a possible pattern forming in Phase 5: powerful villains rising in ways our heroes may not be ready for.
The Marvels
Release date: July 28, 2023
The Captain Marvel movie franchise will meet the Ms. Marvel TV series (with help from WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau) to form a new trifecta of cosmic-powered superheroines in the MCU. Plot details are unknown, but Ms. Marvel left us with a place-switching connection between Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), so that’s something. Based on other projects like Secret Invasion, The Marvels could have some serious Kree/Skrull drama to resolve – and again, we could be looking at a major shakeup in the cosmic order, as a result.
Blade
Release date: November 3, 2023
The Marvel Knights supernatural side of things has been teased through Moon Knight and Eternals’ post-credits scene, but Blade is the film that will really open the door to it all. Blade could be a pivotal dark horse story whose significance we can’t yet fully understand.
Captain America: New World Order
Release date: May 3, 2024
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has taken up the shield and mantle, but it sounds like the timing could be rather unfortunate. In the comics, the New World Order organization was founded by Red Skull in a clandestine plot to take over the world. There have been many similar stories in Marvel lore since then (Leviathan) that could be streamlined into the premise of Captain America 4. Either way, it sounds like Sam will find out there are some truly seedy (world threatening) things happening in the world of politics and espionage.
Thunderbolts
Release date: May 3, 2024
The end of MCU Phase 5 will be Thunderbolts – a series that started as a team of villains posing as heroes. Given everything we’ve seen in Phase 5 leading up to it, Thunderbolts makes us wonder if Phase 5 will end with a new world order of villains holding the reigns, and heroes left on the run.
While those Marvel Phase 5 plans took their rightful place in the spotlight at Comic-Con 2022, Marvel also announced the first three projects in its Phase 6 slate
Fantastic Four
Release date: November 8, 2024
MCU reboot of the Fantastic Four will be released in November of 2024, marking the first movie in Phase 6 and kickstarting the road to Secret Wars. This movie will be necessary to get to the final film of The Multiverse Saga as Marvels’ first family play a major role in that storyline.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Release date: May 2, 2025
The summer of 2025 will kick off with Avengers 5, subtitled The Kang Dynasty and set to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. What’s unclear about the film is…who will be part of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in this movie? One guess is that Captain Marvel and Hulk have continued the team, as seen at the end of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release date: November 7, 2025
The Multiverse Saga will officially conclude with this title, as the Avengers: Secret Wars will seemingly draw from the Jonathan Hickman-penned reboot of the title from 2015, one that combined multiple different Earths/timelines/universes into one planet, the all-new Battle World.
Sources: Techradar, Comicbook.com and Boxoffice Pro
The newly launched platform has the capability to offer data and insight driven audience based cinema buying across Motivate Val Morgan’s network of cinemas in the Middle East.
Motivate Val Morgan, the leading cinema advertising company in the Middle East has launched a dedicated platform – CinePlan and CineMeasure, through which advertisers can plan and measure their cinema campaigns with ease.
CinePlan is a tool that can be utilized to build a cinema media plan based on advertiser requirements, and offers two routes: By Admission and By Package. The By Package route presents advertisers with the option to book existing pre-designed packages sold by Motivate Val Morgan, while the By Admission route is a new extension to the existing bouquet of cinema advertising offerings, where advertisers can define their advertising reach at cinema locations of preference.
CineMeasure is a post campaign measurement tool that works seamlessly with CinePlan to analyze and report admission data for an executed campaign.
Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner, Motivate Media Group, said, “As the region’s leading cinema advertising company, with over twenty-three years of regional experience, we are committed to constantly improve and innovate our offerings. The launch of CinePlan and CineMeasure marks a significant milestone for Motivate Val Morgan, as it establishes a first-to-market platform through a self-service model, a major focus for the company as we look to empower advertisers and provide autonomous cinema planning and measurement.”
The platform will add exceptional value for advertisers as it has the capability to offer data and insight driven audience-based buying across Motivate Val Morgan’s network of cinemas in the region, improving accountability and transparency to address concerns on cinema audience measurement, a byproduct of the pandemic.
Avinash Udeshi, Chief Operating Officer, Motivate Val Morgan commented, “While being a market leader, we have always had a consultative approach in terms of buying and delivering on campaign objectives. Through this platform, we will offer the same total flexibility and convenience to advertisers and agency planners, with admission data from the cinema box office. Thus, cinema advertising can now be further planned, bought, and measured through a simple yet comprehensive dashboard. The system has the capability to buy audience by numbers, demography, and income groups, right down to a granular level of an individual screen at a particular location.”
Advertisers can leverage CinePlan and CineMeasure to connect the dots between ad exposure and a campaign’s outcome.
Promo/Launch Video:
Visit: Motivate Val Morgan to start planning your cinema advertising campaign.
Lexus booked a car display with Motivate Val Morgan, through Play Dooh at VOX Cinemas – City Centre Mirdif during the Eid Weekened (7-14 July 2022).
The car display featured the all-new Lexus IS 350 2022 in the foyer area of the popular cinema location, and was timed to coincide with the release of the long-awaited Marvel blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder.
Perfectly blending power, enthralling performance, striking design and sophistication, Lexus IS delivers a driving experience that stirs every emotion.
Motivate Val Morgan offers a range of off screen promotional activities to compliment and support on screen advertising, ranging from Digital Screens, Sampling Inside Cinemas, to Lighboxes, and much more.
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on how off-screen cinema advertising could help move your brand closer to its target audience, and click here to read more on Lexus IS.
Muvi Park Avenue – Riyadh is the latest addition to the operator’s extensive cinema network in the kingdom.
Saudi homegrown cinema brand Muvi Cinemas opened its twenty-first location at Park Avenue Mall, Riyadh on 28 April 2022.
The 10 screens cinema with a total of 1,277 seats also features a ScreenX and an Xperience screen, and it is the eighth cinema by the operator in Riyadh city.
The cinema is part of the newly opened outdoor mall in the city – Park Avenue, which offers a variety of entertainment and shopping options, restaurants, cafes and children’s amusement parks for the entire family to enjoy and experience.
Muvi Cinemas presently operates 205 screens across 21 locations in 9 cities of Saudi Arabia.
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities at Muvi – Park Avenue – Riyadh.
Source: Muvi Cinemas
Motivate Val Morgan in partnership with VOX Cinemas, hosted a private screening of Thor: Love and Thunder at Mall of the Emirates on Thursday 14th July at – the first screening post COVID-19 and for the year 2022.
With an attendance of over 75 invitees – a mix of agency and direct clients (and their family members), the private screening was a massive success and the first of many more ahead for this year!
We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank VOX Cinemas for helping us organize and execute this screening – making it a memorable one!
Finally, a huge thank you out to our invitees who attended, thus contributing to its immense success.
Stay tuned for more updates on future ‘Private Screenings’ by Motivate Val Morgan.
United Arab Emirates wins 2 Grand Prix, 2 Gold, 13 Silver and 5 Bronze Lions at the 2022 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
Cannes Lions – the largest gathering in the creative marketing community, has announced all the winners of its 69th Festival awards, and UAE, once again, has emerged victorious at the event which took place between 20 – 24 June in Cannes, France.
United Arab Emirates won 22 Lions – 2 Grand Prix, 2 Gold, 13 Silver and 5 Bronze, across multiple categories, including first time wins in the category of Entertainment for Sport and Social & Influencer. The UAE also secured 61 shortlists at this year’s Festival.
This year’s winning agencies/clients from the UAE include Havas Middle East, Impact BBDO Dubai, Horizon FCB Dubai, TBWA\RAAD Dubai, VMLY&R Commerce MENA, Keko Dubai and UAE Government Media Office:
Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, commented: “Cannes Lions is a global platform, and it’s been an incredible week, as the global creative community reunited in Cannes once again. Our community came together from across the globe, and from every corner of the industry, to drive progress through creativity, for business, the planet, and society at large. I would like to congratulate everyone who entered, who made the shortlists and who won a Lion to set the benchmark for creative excellence on the global stage.”
2022 also witnessed 13 professionals from the creative marketing/communication community represent the United Arab Emirates at the Cannes Lions Festival as awarding and shortlisting jury members:
Ali Rez (Regional Executive Creative Director – Impact BBDO Dubai), Priya Sarma (Head of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability – Unilever), Akhilesh Bagri (Chief Creative Officer – Serviceplan Middle East), Paul Banham (Regional Executive Creative Director – MullenLowe MENA), Lucy Harvey (Managing Director Middle East, Turkey, India & Africa – Hill+Knowlton Strategies Middle East) and Ali Cheikhali (Creative Strategy Lead, Creative Works MENA/TR/SSA – Google) were part of the awarding jury across Print & Publishing, Sustainable Development Goals, Brand Experience & Activation, Industry Craft, PR and Creative Commerce respectively. Shortlisting jury members included Alok Gadkar (Executive Creative Director & Managing Director – Group Partnership), Racha Makarem (Chief Executive Officer MENA – Starcom MENA), Aunindo Sen (Executive Creative Director – FP7 McCann), Ivan Bormaister (Associate Creative Director – M&C Saatchi UAE), Dana Tahir (General Manager – Red Havas ME), Pablo Maldonado (Executive Creative Director – Grey Dubai) and Till Hohmann (Chief Creative Officer MENA – Memac Ogilvy) across Health & Wellness, Media, Direct, Film, PR, Design and Outdoor respectively.
Representing the UAE at this year’s International Young Lions Digital Competition (for young creative below the age of 30 years in the digital category) and the Roger Hatchuel Academy (a mentorship programme for university students in the field of creative communications), were Rebecca Menezes and Eduardo Cesar Guimarães from Saatchi & Saatchi MEA, and Fatma Al Suwaidi from American University in Dubai.
As the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE, Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan warmly congratulates all Lion winners from the UAE, and the jury members and young talent who represented the country at this year’s Festival.
Source: Cannes Lions ‘The Work’
The META Film Fest will be a three-day event filled with star-studded premieres, celebrating Hollywood, Bollywood, Arab and African content.
The inaugural META Film Fest has been launched by META Cinema Forum – the pioneering cinema convention for Middle East and Africa, in partnership with VOX Cinemas – the largest cinema exhibitor in the region, and is set to bring the latest blockbusters as well as independent, regional, and local productions to movie lovers over a three-day jammed packed festival from 27-29 October, at VOX Cinemas Nakheel Mall in Dubai, UAE.
Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, The Great Minds Group (organizers of the META Cinema Forum) stated, “a selection committee will review all the submissions from around the global and the final 30-40 films will make it to the festival. Expect at least four to five blockbusters that will premiere with their stars walking the red carpet, after-parties with talents, and it will all culminate with an awards ceremony honouring the best in cinema.”
A film fund is another feature of this festival, where 2 pre-production content ideas submitted by regional talent, one full feature film idea and one documentary idea, will be chosen to be funded for production, and will be subsequently screened at the festival’s future editions and will be supported through marketing and worldwide distribution. This feature is dedicated to discovering Arab talent and contributing to production of world class Arabic content.
While the region was initially exposed to festivals such as Dubai International Film Festival and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the META Film Fest is billed as the first private-sector and industry stakeholder-led film festival in the Middle East and Africa.
“We are trying to engage as many audiences as we can at this festival … This is going to be a place for creative people to sit together, develop ideas, and produce great content too,” added Masinaei .
Due to the festival’s location, the event guarantees one of the most diversified audiences present at any festival, while boasting the legendary glitz and glamour of Dubai.
Sources: META Film Fest and Gulf News
Cinema ad spend in the U.S is expected to grow by 168% in 2022.
The advertising industry was one of the most affected by the pandemic. 2021 however, witnessed a rapid bounce back, with most mediums reaching a record high and surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
In a recent study, Magna Advertising forecasted U.S. ad spend in 2022 for each medium, and while most mediums are expected to grow less in 2022 – a result of the doom-and-gloom narrative surrounding the ad market owing to the impending recession, ad spend on cinema is expected to increase by 168%.
Due to a disappointing first half in 2021, full-year ad sales amounted to just 24% of pre-COVID levels, however it is projected that cinema advertising will enjoy its first quasi-normal year since 2019, with audience admissions already witnessing a boost with the release of The Batman, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Top Gun: Maverick, and a large slate of blockbusters set to release over Q3 and Q4 2022: Jurassic World Dominion, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Black Adam and Avatar: The Way of Water.
As movie attendance is on the rise, marketers in both the U.S and globally are also looking at the ‘attention’ aspect cinema affords advertisers. Recent research by Amplified Intelligence reveals that cinema scores 80% ‘active’ attention and 20% ‘passive attention’ with zero wastage and no decay – the highest statistic thus far for active attention in a market of 30-40% attention average.
Sources: Magna Global, Variety and Mi3
‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ global cinema ad aims to inspire movie theater audiences to join fight against climate change.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Cinema Adervtising Association (SAWA) launched an eight-week international cinema advertising – ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’, on 12 May, 2022, aimed at raising awareness of the climate emergency and spurring broader and the urgent action to address it.
In the 60-second ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ cinema ad, Frankie, an animated dinosaur is seen storming into the UN General Assembly, seizing its iconic podium, and urging stunned-looking dignitaries to avoid the dinosaurs’ fate—extinction—by making changes to tackle the climate crisis.
At the red-carpet launch of the film’s cinema release, SAWA and the Global Cinema Medium were presented the inaugural UNDP ‘Frankie’ Award for Climate Impact. The honor recognizes SAWA and the Global Cinema Medium’s tremendous efforts to screen the 60-second spot in 30 countries during a two-month period. The cinema ad, produced in 15 languages, has been mastered and distributed by UniqueX in the United Kingdom.
The animated Utharaptor, the first computer-generated character to appear inside the iconic General Assembly building, anchors UNDP’s ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ Campaign. The original film was voiced in 39 languages and features famous actors from around the world, including Jack Black (English), Eiza González (Spanish), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Danish), and Aïssa Maïga (French) and has been translated into more than 60 languages.
“While the global cinema ad is entertaining, it addresses issues that could not be more serious,” UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said. “It urges countries to phase out fossil fuels subsidies, which harm the environment in ways that threaten our very existence. UNDP is deeply grateful to SAWA and the Global Cinema medium for its commitment to climate action and generous support in sharing this film through cinemas in 30 countries around the world.”
“Since 2015, the Global Cinema Medium has partnered with the United Nations to advance its Sustainable Development Goals. Again, in 2022, although cinema has been one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, our Global Cinema advertising companies have committed to supporting this campaign on climate change—seen as one of the most pressing challenges of our time.” said Cheryl Wannell, SAWA, CEO. “Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X put climate action high on the list for both themselves and the brands they use. They are among the hardest demographics to reach and comprise the core cinema audience.”
“Fossil fuel subsidies contribute to climate change and growing inequalities around the world. But there isn’t enough global awareness or understanding around this issue. The cinema release of the Don’t Choose Extinction campaign hopes to change all that by using creativity to inform and inspire millions of moviegoers around the world to take action,” said Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and the Danish voice of Frankie the dinosaur.
Click here for more information on the ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ ad campaign and to learn how to get involved in addressing climate change.
CinemaCon 2022 took place between 25 – 28 April 2022 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
CinemaCon, the annual convention organized by the National Association of Theatre Owners, is back after a cancelled 2020 edition and a muted 2021 affair.
Only eight months ago, the movie theater industry congregated at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The previous edition took place at a time when the cinema industry was in constant flux, with fewer overseas delegates, pre-recorded studio presentations, and a low turnout on the trade show floor.
The industry has made great strides since CinemaCon 2021, after a string of box office successes – Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Batman, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and a far more stabilized movie release calendar, which have given cinema owners the foundation to pursue a serious recovery. The worst looks to be behind movie owners around the world, with theatrically exclusive films returning to big screen and recent box office figures suggesting that viewers are returning to the medium.
Here’s a look at the biggest studio announcements from the largest annual gathering of the motion picture industry:
Sony Pictures:
Sony opened the studio presentations at CinemaCon 2022 with a victory lap. Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, who energized the studio’s 2021 showcase to exhibitors by expressing a strong commitment to theatrical exclusivity.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has earned a whopping $3.3 billion in global box office since their last appearance in CinemaCon, only eight months back.
The studio’s 2022 presentation began with an extended look at the upcoming comedy-action caper Bullet Train (July 29) and continued its presentation further with the new looks of Where the Crawdads Sing (July 15) and The Woman King (September 16), original titles the studio believes will help balance the tentpole-heavy release schedule of the coming months.
Warner Bros.:
Warner Bros. started the presentation at CinemaCon 2022 by unveiling an early first look at footage from The Flash.
The major announcement of the evening was confirmation from studio chairman Toby Emmerich that director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson would be coming back for another installment of The Batman.
Fans also caught the first glimpse of Margot Robbie in the starring role for Barbie, now scheduled for a July 21, 2023 release.
Director Baz Luhrman gave an enthusiastic introduction to footage from his upcoming Elvis, scheduled for a June 24 release, the film will confront the challenge of re-engaging older moviegoers.
Other non-franchise Warner Bros. titles featured in the presentation include the Timothy Chalamet musical Wonka (Christmas 2023), Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry, Darling starring Florence Pugh (September 23), and the Stephen King adaptation Salem’s Lot (September 9).
Warner Bros.’ focus on original titles didn’t overshadow the other DC Comics properties on its schedule. Their CinemaCon presentation included advance looks at Shazam! Fury of the Gods (December 16), Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom (March 17, 2023), DC League of Super-Pets (July 29), and Black Adam (October 21).
Disney:
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige opened the ceremony introducing a 20-minute clip of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel titles have been a financial lifeline for the industry since cinemas reopened with titles like Black Widow, Shan-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The CinemaCon 2022 audience also enjoyed a 30-minute look at Lightyear, the first Pixar title to hit theaters since Onward.
Disney turned the rest of the presentation over to its 20th Century Studios division, where audiences got a first look at footage of David O. Russell’s Amsterdam (November 4). The title promises to be a star-studded big screen experience driven by leads Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington.
Six minutes of The Bob’s Burgers Movie (May 27) also screened for the audience, emerging as a promising counter-programming option set to open alongside Top Gun: Maverick over Memorial Day weekend.
Producer Jon Landau came on stage to share Disney’s biggest announcement of the morning. Avatar 2, now titled Avatar: The Way of Water, will stick to its December 16 release date.
Universal Studios:
Universal Studios’ presentation represented with footage from Jordan Peele’s Nope (July 22), David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends (October 14), and the Blumhouse evil robot thriller M3gan (January 13, 2023).
Highlights from the showcase also included enthusiastic responses from exhibitors for comedies Easter Sunday (August 5), Minions: The Rise of Gru (July 1), and Bros (September 30). Universal’s presentation closed with legacy cast members of Jurassic World: Dominion introducing a trailer for the film ahead of its June 10 release.
Focus Features:
Focus Features president Lisa Bunnell introduced footage from several upcoming titles. Focus will bring a diverse slate to theaters in 2022 that includes movies like Downton Abbey: A New Era (May 18) and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (July 15), genre plays like action-comedy flick Violent Night (December 2), and dramas like James Gray’s Armageddon Time.
Neon:
Neon showcased footage from a trio of its own titles to complement the week’s tentpole-driven presentations. David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future (June 3) is sure to make audiences squirm as the legendary director returns to his roots in body horror.
Lionsgate:
Lionsgate showcased upcoming comedy About My Father. The Studio also revealed never before seen footage of a slate that balances original films like coming-of-age comedy Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and horror flick The Devil’s Light with established action franchises like John Wick Chapter 4 and The Expendables 4.
The studio is also building spin-off series based on successful films. The drama White Bird will act as a sort of spiritual prequel to Lionsgate’s 2017 hit Wonder, while Ballerina will give star Anna de Armas her own series in the John Wick universe.
The CinemaCon 2022 audience caught their first glimpse of the video game adaptation Borderlands and a new Dirty Dancing movie heralding the return of original star Jeniffer Grey.
The big news from the Lionsgate showcase came in the final moments of the presentation with the announcement of a new Hunger Games prequel dated for November 17, 2023. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes could provide a return to major global grosses for Lionsgate, which has played a larger role with mid-range titles since the Hunger Games series concluded in 2015.
Paramount Pictures:
Paramount Pictures kept most of the focus of its CinemaCon 2022 presentation on Top Gun: Maverick, which got its first public screening at the Las Vegas gathering Thursday.
The studio still had a few other big announcements to make. Among them were two title announcements for Paramount’s biggest franchises: Mission: Impossible and A Quiet Place. The seventh M:I film will be titled Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One while the upcoming “Quiet Place” spinoff from director Michael Sarnoski will be called A Quiet Place: Day One. Both films are set for release in 2023.
Source: Boxoffice Pro
