In a startling late-game shift, Marvel Studios has moved Avengers: Infinity War from its May 4th release date to April 27th, a week earlier!

That’s a FANTASTIC idea! Done. Avengers: #InfinityWar in theaters everywhere April 27th. pic.twitter.com/n5JhJWpnqc — Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) March 1, 2018

While a lot of Marvel fans are going to be thrilled that they now get to see Infinity War earlier, there's already a major topic of inquiry already forming: Was Marvel somehow intimidated out of its spot by Fox's Deadpool 2?

Deadpool 2 recently switched release dates from June to mid-May, mere weeks after Infinity War's release. At the time, many wondered if the move could have an effect on Infinity War's planned release - but that idea was just as quickly dismissed. Marvel Studios is the Juggernaut, and it was assumed that no one would make them blink, when it came to staking out ground on a release.

Funny enough, one has to wonder if Black Panther's massive box office success was a factor in this. Point-blank: as Black Panther heads into its third week of massive box office profits, Marvel may have realized they needed a full three-week window to rake in all the cash from Infinity War! This film is going to be a major cinematic milestone - the biggest since the first Avengers movie. However, two weeks after the original May release date we would've seen Deadpool 2 hit theaters, followed swiftly by Solo: A Stars Wars Story. So while Avengers 3 would've clearly been a powerhouse draw, the full profits for the film (i.e., repeat viewings) conceivably gotten lost in the summer movie shuffle. Three weeks will be plenty to get. That. Cash.

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Are you psyched to get to see Avengers: Infinity War earlier than expected? Let us know in the comments.

Black Panther is now in theaters. It will be followed by Avengers: Infinity War on April 27th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.