Whoa, slow down there, Captain. Just days after the premiere of the second film, Marvel has announced that the third installment of the Captain America series will be hitting theaters on May 6, 2016. Yes, over two years from now. This is kind of old news, as rumor had it the film would face off against the DC comic-inspired Superman Vs. Batman. But even though the showdown is old news, Marvel's official announcement just goes to show how much movie promoting has changed of late.
Why the eagerness to announce the sequel? Not all Marvel fans have even had a chance to see the second film yet. Marvel has given away prized information during a time they should still be riding The Winter Soldier promotion. Now fans will know they have to wait two long years before getting any thing new, and fans don't like to wait. But Captain America isn't the only franchise battling these rocky promotional waters. Let's see what their PR people can learn from other successful series like The Hunger Games and Divergent.
1. EVERY ANNOUNCEMENT YOU MAKE SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE A BIG DEAL
The Hunger Games built up the announcement of their fire-y poster like it was the same as releasing a trailer. When you treat every individual bit of news like it's exciting, fans will pick up on that and get excited too. Marvel should have teased that they had big news and then announced the premiere date.
2. KEEP THEM GUESSING
It's rumored that a Mockingjay trailer will debut in April, but no one knows for sure if that's true. Not having a set date keeps people guessing and keeps the energy and excitement flowing when you keep thinking it could happen any day. Marvel should have waited a little longer to announce their release date so the excitement about when it would happen could build.
3. IT'S EASY TO SOUND GREEDY
Divergent announced that its sequel Insurgent was being greenlit only days after their successful premiere, but it worked because it was exciting news that there was even going to be a second film. Th news was sort of a congratulations to the fans for showing up and making the film a hit. The way Marvel went about it felt less like that and more like, "did you just spend 14 dollars to see Captain America? Here's when you'll be spending 14 dollars again. Yay!"
4. TWO YEARS IS TOO LONG
Announcing a premiere date for a movie that is more than two years away is a little ridiculous. If you have to keep fans satiated over the next two years, every scrap of information you have is precious. You should be dropping those bread crumbs slowly throughout those 730+ days instead of giving everything away for part 3 away while fans are still being excited about part 2.
5. THE AVENGERS DOESN'T COUNT
Just like Hunger Games, fans aren't 100 percent satiated by J. Law's other movies, or by Lionsgate's other YA dystopia Divergent, so you can't expect Captain America fans to not be 100 percent sold on the idea that Marvel is using The Avengers to tide them over. And even still, that film is a whole year away, too. Pace yourself, Marvel. Geez.
6. NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE PREMIERE DATE ANYWAY
When something is so far out, people can't even picture what that date looks like in their minds. If Marvel truly wanted to get Captain America fans pumped, they should have released a poster or a clip or something with actual substance (and only after an appropriate amount of time had passed).
So nice try, Marvel. We get that you're excited about the third Captain America film, but how about if you let the majority of fans see the second one before you move on? Didn't your parents ever teach you that dessert comes after dinner? You're not allowed to have them simultaneously.
Image: Marvel; Tumblr/prettyprettyday; Tumblr/gradstudentdrone
