Thoughts on Disney/Fox Deal; Slate Predictions

Well, now that the final exams have finished taking their toll on me, I can finally get back to doing blog posts again!

I'm sure a good chunk of you have heard about The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Inc.(that's not a typo, there actually is a company with that name)and all assets within it.

Of course, the first thought that came into people's heads were things like "Oh my God! The X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!" and "Yay! A good Fantastic Four movie!"

Me personally? I was mainly concerned about what would happen to 20th Century Fox Animation and everything within it, such as the films from Blue Sky Studios, especially since Fox has been trying to build a proverbial animation fort after losing DreamWorks.

As a friend of mine jokingly said yesterday, "no wonder why DreamWorks Animation is going to Universal..."

Consider. Disney already has their flagship animation studio, as well as Pixar. Not to mention, the occasional film from DisneyToon Studios or even Lucasfilm Animation. With that in mind, I got the sense that they could care less about Blue Sky, Locksmith, etc. I was under the impression that Disney was more interested in Fox's big tentpole franchises, such as X-Men, Planet of the Apes, Alien, and Avatar, the latter of which having a whole land devoted to it at Disney's Animal Kingdom...

(On the plus side, I no longer have to get sick of correcting people when they say that Anastasia is a Disney princess!)

But alas, here we are! Blue Sky's successful franchises such as Ice Age and Rio are now under the Disney tree!

With my thoughts out of the way, here is both Disney and Fox's 2018-2025 slate combined!

01/25/2019-The Kid Who Would Be King

02/14/2019-Alita: Battle Angel

03/08/2019-Captain Marvel

03/15/2019-The Aftermath

03/29/2019-Dumbo
04/17/2019-Breakthrough
04/17/2019-Penguins

04/26/2019-Avengers: Endgame
05/10/2019-Tolkien
05/24/2019-Aladdin

05/24/2019-Ad Astra

06/07/2019-Dark Phoenix

06/21/2019-Toy Story 4
06/28/2019-Ford v. Ferrari

07/05/2019-Spider-Man: Far From Home

07/12/2019-Stuber

07/19/2019-The Lion King
08/02/2019-New Mutants

08/09/2019-Artemis Fowl
09/13/2019-Spies in Disguise
09/27/2019-The Art of Racing in the Rain
10/04/2019-The Woman in the Window

11/15/2019-Kingsman: The Great Game

11/22/2019-Frozen 2

12/20/2019-Star Wars: Episode IX

12/25/2019-The Call of the Wild

02/14/2020-Nimona
02/14/2020-Untitled Disney Live-Action
03/06/2020-Onward

03/13/2020-Gambit
03/27/2020-Mulan

05/01/2020-Untitled Marvel Studios
05/29/2020-Maleficent 2

06/19/2020-Untitled Pixar

06/26/2020-Untitled Fox/Marvel

07/17/2020-Bob’s Burgers

07/24/2020-Jungle Cruise

10/02/2020-Untitled Fox/Marvel

10/02/2020-Death on the Nile 

10/09/2020-Untitled Disney Live-Action

11/06/2020-Ron’s Gone Wrong

11/06/2020-Untitled Marvel Studios

11/25/2020-Untitled Disney Animation

12/18/2020-Avatar 2
12/23/2020-Untitled Disney Live-Action

02/12/2021-Untitled Marvel Studios

03/05/2021-Untitled Fox/Marvel
03/05/2021-Foster

03/12/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action
05/07/2021-Untitled Marvel Studios
05/28/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action

06/18/2021-Untitled Pixar
07/09/2021-Indiana Jones 5
07/30/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action
10/08/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action
11/05/2021-Untitled Marvel Studios

11/24/2021-Untitled Disney Animation

12/17/2021-Avatar 3
12/22/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action

02/18/2022-Untitled Marvel Studios
03/18/2022-Untitled Pixar
05/06/2022-Untitled Marvel Studios
05/27/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
06/17/2022-Untitled Pixar
07/08/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
07/29/2022-Untitled Marvel Studios
10/07/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
11/04/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
11/23/2022-Untitled Disney Animation
12/16/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action

02/17/2023-Untitled Disney Live-Action

12/20/2024-Avatar 4

12/19/2025-Avatar 5

(Please forgive the lack of italics. I had enough trouble assigning colors to these films.)

You may notice that some of these movies are slated to come out the same day as each other, such as Ron's Gone Wrong going up against an untitled film from Marvel Studios. Disney may have a knack for releasing movies in the same month, but they at least space them out accordingly! Expect some projects, such as Ron, to move to new release dates.

I also would not be surprised if all of the Fox/Marvel movies opening after Gambit were shelved so that any future installments with their characters can be incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, since Disney seems adamant about keeping release dates for their movies, I think the remaining Fox/Marvel dates from June 2020 to March 2021 will go to other projects.

As of January 17, 2019, this is my predicted slate:

01/25/2019-The Kid Who Would Be King

02/14/2019-Alita: Battle Angel

03/08/2019-Captain Marvel

03/15/2019-The Aftermath

03/29/2019-Dumbo
04/17/2019-Breakthrough
04/17/2019-Penguins

04/26/2019-Avengers: Endgame
05/10/2019-Tolkien

05/17/2019-Ad Astra
-Yeah, there's some good-sized competition in this spot like A Dog's Journey and John Wick: Parabellum, but I suppose it's better than going up against Aladdin.

05/24/2019-Aladdin

06/07/2019-Dark Phoenix

06/21/2019-Toy Story 4
06/28/2019-Ford v. Ferrari

07/05/2019-Spider-Man: Far From Home

07/12/2019-Stuber

07/19/2019-The Lion King
08/02/2019-New Mutants

08/09/2019-Artemis Fowl

09/13/2019-Spies in Disguise
09/27/2019-The Art of Racing in the Rain

10/04/2019-The Woman in the Window

11/15/2019-Kingsman: The Great Game

11/22/2019-Frozen 2

12/20/2019-Star Wars: Episode IX

12/25/2019-The Call of the Wild

02/14/2020-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to The One and Only Ivan

03/06/2020-Onward

03/13/2020-Gambit

03/27/2020-Mulan

05/01/2020-Untitled Marvel Studios

-I predict this slot will go to Black Widow

05/29/2020-Maleficent 2

06/19/2020-Nimona

-This would replace an untitled film from Pixar. Since Blue Sky is Fox's flagship animation studio, I reckon that Disney would want to even things out with Pixar in the Spring, these guys in the Summer, and Disney Animation in the Fall. We would then get the occasional film from Locksmith or any other animation house. Plus, the current date pits it against the aforementioned Disney Live-Action film and Bond 25. Not to mention the fact that DC's Birds of Prey and Sony Animation's Peter Rabbit sequel opens the week prior, so it needs a lot of breathing room.

06/26/2020-McClane
-Since this Die Hard prequel seems to be moving forward nicely, I reckon it will lock down a 2020 release date. More specifically, if the Untitled Fox/Marvel set for June 26th of that year gets replaced.

07/24/2020-Jungle Cruise

07/31/2020-Bob’s Burgers
-The current release date pits it against Paramount's third SpongeBob SquarePants movie, so I believe it would be appropriate if they moved it back two weeks.

10/02/2020-Death on the Nile

10/09/2020-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to Pinocchio

10/16/2020-Ron’s Gone Wrong

-With an untitled Fox/Marvel movie pushed out of its slot now that Death on the Nile, not to mention one of Sony's untitled Marvel films, is there, I say that Locksmith Animation's Ron's Gone Wrong gets bumped up so that it doesn't open the same day as both Sony Animation's Vivo and an untitled film from Marvel Studios.

11/06/2020-Untitled Marvel Studios

-I predict this slot will go to The Eternals

11/25/2020-Untitled Disney Animation

-I predict this slot will go to Dragon Empire

12/18/2020-Avatar 2

12/23/2020-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to Lilo & Stitch

02/12/2021-Untitled Marvel Studios
-I predict this slot will go to Black Panther 2

03/05/2021-Untitled Pixar

-I predict this slot will go to whatever movie Pete Docter is directing for the studio, and will also trade places with Blue Sky's Foster

03/12/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action

-I predict this slot will go to The Second Jungle Book

03/19/2021-The Force

-Since James Mangold originally had a "first-week-of-March" pattern with his movies, I had originally thought 3/5/2021 for this project, but since Blue Sky's Foster has found its way into that slot, I say they take the Fox/Marvel film already slated for 3/5/2021, move it back to 3/19/2021, and replace it with his adaptation of The Force. Going up against Luck shouldn't be so bad, since both films will be made for completely different demographics.

05/07/2021-Untitled Marvel Studios
-I predict this slot will go to Doctor Strange 2

05/28/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to Disenchanted

06/18/2021-Foster

-See the aforementioned Untitled Pixar

07/09/2021-Indiana Jones 5

07/30/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to The Little Mermaid

10/08/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to Sade

11/05/2021-Untitled Marvel Studios
-I predict this slot will go to Shang-Chi

11/24/2021-Untitled Disney Animation

-I predict this slot will go to whatever movie Byron Howard is directing for the studio

12/17/2021-Avatar 3

12/22/2021-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

02/18/2022-Untitled Marvel Studios
-I predict this slot will go to a Captain Marvel sequel

03/18/2022-Untitled Pixar
-I predict this slot will go to whatever film Mark Andrews is directing for the studio

05/06/2022-Untitled Marvel Studios
-I predict this slot will go to Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

05/27/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to Cruella

06/17/2022-Ice Age 6
-An untitled Pixar movie is slated for June 17, 2022. To reiterate my point, I think that Blue Sky will get that slot instead of Pixar. I think a sixth Ice Age is a high priority for them, since the franchise turns 20 that year.

07/08/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to the upcoming reboot of Pirates of the Caribbean

07/29/2022-Untitled Marvel Studios
-I predict this slot will go to a third MCU Spider-Man movie.

10/07/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to The Haunted Mansion

11/04/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will become an untitled Marvel film and go to another Fantastic Four reboot. With my prediction of Sony releasing a third Spider-Man film in 2022, I think it would be a great way for the MCU to release four movies a year without them hogging up Disney's schedule.

11/23/2022-Untitled Disney Animation
-I predict this slot will go to Gigantic

12/16/2022-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to the Obi-wan Kenobi standalone movie

02/17/2023-Untitled Disney Live-Action
-I predict this slot will go to Oz: the Great and Powerful 2

12/20/2024-Avatar 4

12/19/2025-Avatar 5