META Cinema Forum brings together cinema stakeholders from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and CIS countries, committing to elevate the cinematic experience in emerging markets.
The sixth edition of the highly successful META Cinema Forum took place between November 7-8, 2023, at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai under the theme ‘Growing the Region’s Cinema Share,’ exemplifying a dedicated commitment to fostering growth and innovation within the industry.
The event, attended by over 500 delegates, visitors, buyers, sellers, and other industry stakeholders, featured engaging discussions, presentations, and workshops addressing the industry’s challenges, solutions, and current market dynamics. Key topics covered included Regional Content Production and International Collaboration, Cinemas of the Future, as well as a comprehensive exploration of emerging cinema trends and technologies, incorporating vital cinema statistics and case studies delving into Rewarding Patrons and Effective Pricing Strategies.
A myriad of stands, presenting the latest products, services, and technologies from a carefully curated selection of industry suppliers, technology providers, and stakeholders, were also showcased at the event.
The forum also attracted the biggest cinema operators in the region as partners in success, with VOX Cinemas, the forum’s strategic partner, alongside AMC KSA, Cinepolis, Muvi, and other cinema operators presenting their future expansion plans.
A notable feature of this year’s edition was the spotlight on Women in Film and TV (WIFT). The event showcased a round table discussion titled ‘Beyond the Glitz,’ featuring prominent female panelists such as Nancy Paton, Founder of Desert Rose Films and President of WIFTGCC, Charlotte Louise Sutcliffe, Entertainment Lawyer and Associate at CWB, and Head of Events at WIFTGCC, Ozge Conduroglu, Acquisition & Distribution Lead at The Plot Pictures MENA, and Ashleigh Potts, Marketing Director at Studio Distribution, Majid Al Futtaim LLC.
Additionally, the forum celebrated rising female Emirati filmmakers Zainab Shaheen, Maitha Al Awadi, Eman Al Sayed, and Sarraa Al Shehhi. The spotlight also shone on Nayla Al Khaja, the first Emirati film director, who received recognition at the WIFT MENA AWARDS during the event.
Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, Great Mind Events Management, remarked, “The success of the 6th META Cinema Forum reflects our unwavering commitment to advancing the cinematic landscape in emerging markets. This year’s event has reinforced our belief in the power of collaboration, innovation, and shared experiences within the industry. We are excited about the future possibilities and the role META Cinema Forum will continue to play in shaping the cinema sector in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the CIS region.”
The two-day cinema conference also featured special screenings, including the latest Marvel movie ‘The Marvels’.
The highlight of the event was The META Cinema Awards and Gala Reception—a night of celebration recognizing outstanding achievements in the cinema industry. Nathan Gilligan, Senior Operations Manager at Comscore, and Nena Loncar, Client Insights Manager at Comscore, presented the awards. Recipients of this year’s META Cinema Awards include:”
Motivate Val Morgan was one of the media partners for the META Cinema Forum and a supporting partner for Meta Cinema Forum 2023.
Deadpool 3 stands as the sole movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe set for release in 2024
Disney has confirmed a long-rumored reshuffle of its Marvel lineup, resulting in the postponement of several franchise titles originally slated for a 2024 release, now rescheduled to 2025. This announcement follows the resolution of the SAG-AFTRA strike and occurs within the evolving landscape of the MCU.
The decision to reshuffle release dates has sparked industry discussions, with Anthony D’Alessandro from Deadline commending the move and attributing the lackluster performance of the titles to Disney’s extensive presence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+, rather than reserving content specifically for cinemas. This perspective aligns with recent box office performances, as seen with the studio’s latest release, ‘The Marvels,’ which received a more subdued reception, earning only a modest $110 million in its opening weekend at the global box office.
Despite facing formidable challenges, Marvel Studios continues to reign as a global cinematic juggernaut, with a lineup of thrilling adventures poised to enthrall audiences across the globe.
Here are the updated release dates for the highly anticipated upcoming blockbuster MCU movies:
Initially set for a May 3, 2024 debut, ‘Deadpool 3,’ starring Ryan Reynolds as the main character and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, is now scheduled to hit theaters on July 26, 2024. This marks a significant moment as Deadpool becomes part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after existing in a separate continuity due to studio divisions.
The rescheduling of ‘Deadpool 3’ triggered a series of changes. Originally slated for a July 26, 2024 release, ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ has been moved to February 14, 2025. This latest installment in the Captain America series, featuring Anthony Mackie as the lead hero, reportedly finished filming before the industry strike. Online speculation hints at possible reshoots in the coming months, a common practice for Marvel films.
While ‘Fantastic Four’ maintains its original release date of May 2, 2025, ‘Thunderbolts,’ a movie uniting supervillains including Florence Pugh and David Harbour, was initially set to premiere on December 20, 2024. Instead, its release has been shifted to July 25, 2025. As for ‘Blade,’ an R-rated MCU entry starring Mahershala Ali, initially planned for February 14, 2025, it has been rescheduled to November 7, 2025.
Sources: Variety, Marvel, Deadline
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
Here’s a list of all confirmed Marvel movies, releasing from December 2021 onwards.
Marvel Cinematic Universe was first introduced to audiences in Iron Man (2008) when Nick Fury tells Tony Stark: “Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe. You just don’t know it yet.” This was an ambitious attempt of ‘transmedia story telling’ – bringing the comic book continuity to the BIG Screen. 21 Marvel movies later, Avengers: Endgame marked the end of Marvel’s overarching storyline as we know it, but it is not the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Following a pandemic-mandated delay of Marvel’s Phase 4 slate, the studio debuted three series – WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki, and returned to the BIG screen in 2021 with Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings and Eternals, revealing plans for its post-Infinity Saga future.
In this feature, we provide a summary of all confirmed Marvel movies that are releasing over the coming years, including Phase 4 and 5 , as well as the those that are currently in development.
Spider-Man: No Way Home – December 16, 2021
Arguably the most highly anticipated MCU movie since Avengers: Endgame. Tom Holland’s third solo outing as the web-slinging New Yorker is slated to hit theaters a little over a month after the debut of Eternals. With Spider-Man’s identity now revealed at the end of Far From Home, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. Hype has reached fever pitch since the release of the first trailer, as rumors ran rampant about the multiverse adventure set off by Doctor Strange. Some of those rumors have been confirmed in the second trailer, such as the appearance of Doc Ock, Electro, Lizard and Sand Man, while the others remain unconfirmed, though it seems all but guaranteed that both Maguire and Andrew Garfield will be reappearing as their own versions of Peter Parker.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness – May 5, 2022
After taking over as Peter Parker’s mentor in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange will get his second solo outing in 2022. Like many of the MCU’s upcoming films, he will be joined by a slew of Marvel heroes both familiar and new. Elizabeth Olsen will be returning as Scarlet Witch, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams are also set to return while Xochitl Gomez will make her MCU debut as the dimension-hopping hero America Chavez. It’s also set to follow through on the promise of exploring the multiverse, something the MCU has yet to do in full force despite touching on it in shows like Loki and the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Thor: Love & Thunder – July 7, 2022
Chris Hemsworth is breaking the trilogy mold of Marvel movies by starring in his fourth solo outing as the God of Thunder. After wowing audiences with his hilarious and irreverent Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi is back in the director’s chair for another Thor adventure. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor was last seen leaving earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy, as they set out to search for Gamora. The Guardians are also set to make an appearance in Love and Thunder. Jane Foster will also be back as Mighty Thor, as she prepares to wield Mjolnir. Also back are Jamie Alexander’s Lady Sif and Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie. They’ll all have to face off against Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. Russell Crowe will also be playing Zeus, introducing Olympian gods to the fold and combining the cosmic adventures of Thor with mythological storytelling.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – November 10, 2022
The highly anticipated sequel to Black Panther released in 2018 (the only Marvel movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar) has faced a long road to screens. After the tragic passing of T’Challa actor Chadwick Boseman, Wakanda Forever was retooled to tell a more expansive story about Wakanda while still honoring Boseman’s legacy as the iconic Black Panther. While the Black Panther sequel will focus on the various characters introduced in the first film, Wakanda Forever will also introduce Ironheart, played by Dominique Thorne. Wakanda Forever is sure to be one of the most emotional Marvel movies to date as it deals with T’Challa’s absence and how the African nation will be shaped by his legacy.
The Marvels – February 16, 2023
The sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel will kick off the MCU’s 2023 slate. Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers will be joined by Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, who has a bone or two to pick with the cosmic hero. Iman Vellani will also appear as Ms. Marvel after her debut in a solo Disney+ show in 2022. As is common for Marvel movies this far out, very little is known about the plot, but the events of The Marvels are seemingly already being set up in the MCU.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 – May 4, 2023
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the only MCU movie not to be delayed recently and that’s because Gunn has been ready to direct the film for several years. In addition to being the last outing of the original members of the team, Guardians 3 will also introduce Adam Warlock, who is set to be played by Will Poulter. Gunn has also hinted dozens of other secret roles have been cast for the film, indicating a massive send-off for some of the most beloved MCU characters. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will also expand the cosmic side of the MCU further after both Thor: Love and Thunder and The Marvels spend some time away from earth.
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania – July 27, 2023
While the Ant-Man films have always been more tangentially related to the MCU at large, that all changed when Paul Rudd’s plucky Scott Lang played a big role in Avengers: Endgame. The third Ant-Man film will go even further than that. Not only does Cassie Lang, Scott’s daughter, seem primed to become a hero in her own right, but the Lang family is set to face off against who many presume to be the MCU’s next Thanos. Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror was introduced in Loki as He Who Remains, but the foreboding overlord of the citadel beyond the end of time warned of dangerous variants of himself who would be unleashed if the Sacred Timeline was destroyed. Now that that’s happened, it looks like Scott, Hope van Dyne, Janet van Dyne, and Hank Pym are set to face off against one of the MCU’s most dangerous villains, making Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania an integral installment in Marvel’s wider plans.
Fantastic 4 – 2023
Marvel’s First Family will finally make their MCU debut – it’s just a matter of when. Now that Disney owns 20th Century Fox, the rights to the Fantastic Four are finally in the hands of Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige announced plans for a movie about the superhero team in December 2020. Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts will also helm Fantastic Four, so as soon as Peter Parker’s third solo film releases, Watts should be able to begin work on the highly anticipated film. While Marvel has yet to set a date of release for the film, it seems safe to assume it could come in late 2023 or early 2024.
Blade – 2023
Two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will take on the role of vampire hunter Blade as the MCU looks to continue exploring the scarier side of Marvel lore with characters like Moon Knight and the upcoming Disney+ Halloween special that will reportedly include Werewolf by Night. Blade will represent a shift in the MCU as a whole and there’s no one more perfect than Ali to take on the role. With a director and writer both attached to the film, Blade will be one of the Marvel movies releasing in 2023.
Deadpool 3 – 2024
The famous “Merc with a Mouth,” Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool is officially making his way to the MCU in Marvel’s first R-rated feature. Bob’s Burgers writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin are attached to pen the screenplay with filming beginning sometime in 2022. Right now, Deadpool is the only character who will remain the same in crossing over from 20th Century Fox to Disney, and there’s no better character to do so than Wade Wilson. With filming commencing next year, it seems likely that Deadpool 3 will hit theaters sometime in early 2024.
Captain America 4 – TBA
Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is officially the MCU’s new Captain America after he wrestled with taking on the mantle in Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Little is known about Captain America 4, including whether or not Sebastian Stan will appear after Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson teamed up in their show. Still, it seems safe to assume that Stan could make a comeback alongside Emily van Camp’s Sharon Carter, who was revealed as the Marvel villain Power Broker at the end of that series. With no writer or director attached to Captain America 4, it could be a while before the movie comes out, but Kevin Feige has said he does have a release date in mind.
X-Men – TBA
Like Deadpool and the Fantastic Four, X-Men mutants are officially being introduced to the MCU. Of all the upcoming Marvel movies, the one centered around mutants may be the most mysterious. Marvel will want to differentiate itself from 20th Century Fox’s long-running X-Men franchise and doing so could mean holding back on introducing fan-favorite characters like Wolverine, Storm, and Cyclops. However, it happens, it’s sure to be another landmark event for the MCU following Eternals, but it will be quite some time before they finally appear. That won’t stop Marvel Studios from slyly laying the groundwork for mutants’ eventual appearance, though.
Source: Screenrant