TNT Lands Rights to Five Upcoming Marvel Movies

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Captain America 3" included in Turner-owned cable network deal

Weeks after snagging rights to popular YA franchises Divergent and The Hunger Games, TNT has set its sights on Marvel, securing five of the studio's upcoming movies.

In the new pact announced Wednesday, the Turner-owned cable network will get the television premieres of unreleased films from Marvel Studios, including Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015) and Captain America 3 (May 6, 2016).

The three other movies TNT will get through the pact have not been named, though Marvel has dates booked through 2019. And Ant-Man, starring Paul Rudd as the titular hero, has a release date of July 17, 2015, with other movies like Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Doctor Strange also on the docket.

Each of the five films is expected to premiere on TNT roughly two years after their initial theatrical release.

"Marvel's brand of entertainment is a thrill ride for audiences, and we're excited to be adding their next five blockbusters to TNT's arsenal of high-quality genre fare," said Deborah K. Bradley, senior vp, head of program acquisitions, content strategy and licensing for Turner Broadcasting System. "These movies will play a key role in TNT's long-term success, especially among key adult demos."

Back in December, TNT nabbed rights to Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, joining The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which premieres in 2015.