The morning after an intoxicating D23 Friday night, which included a dancing spirit squad, Adam Driver and Inde Navarrette X-Men surprises, Josh Gad crooning, Ryan Gosling, Anne Hathaway and confetti raining, it became really clear — Disney is going to have a killer 2028 at the box office.
And they haven’t even filled out the entire year’s slate yet. With the 2026 domestic box office racking toward an estimated $10 billion stateside, will people still be going to the cinemas two years from now?
Hell yes, if Disney has anything to do with it.
Disney has 14 dates currently in the Rentrak system for 2028 — and that’s not counting 20th Century Studios or Searchlight theatrical releases. Again, dates can always shed, but with the few tentpole dates that were announced last night at D23’s The Ultimate Disney Fan Event at the Anaheim Honda Center, coupled with what we already know, it would not be shocking if 2028 has a shot at rivaling Disney’s record global year at the B.O., which was 2019 with $13.15B (that’s when they were fully merged with 20th Century Fox).
Right now for 2028, if the studio can keep these productions on track, Disney has dated:
Pixar original Ghost Market – March 10Currently, no other wide release is dated against it.
Live-action Tangled – March 31Amazon MGM Studios has a Chosen movie already on the schedule which is counter-programming to this highly anticipated feature adaptation of the 2010 animated pic. Tangled arrives in theaters a week ahead of Sony’s The Beatles – Four Films The Beginning on April 7, 2028.
Marvel’s untiled X-Men – May 5The MCU returns to its formerly prized summer launchpad, three years after 2025’s Thunderbolts*. Who dare date against this revival? In the hands of Feige, it’s not like Bryan Singer’s old stuff. From the looks of last night, per Hugh Jackman’s beam-in, he ain’t coming back as Wolverine.
Live-action Lilo & Stitch 2 – Memorial Day weekend, May 28Currently, Lionsgate has Resurrection of the Christ: Part Two on this date. Again, counter-programming skewing to an older adult religious demo. The two can co-exist, but depending on how successful Part One is (May 6, 2027), it would’t be shocking if Lionsgate changes their mind in the face of a five-quad sequel to a billion-dollar movie.
Pixar’s Incredibles 3 – June 16Before D23, Disney already announced the Fathers Day weekend date for the threequel to one of the highest grossing animated movies of all-time (Incredibles 2 at $1.2B). The kids—Violet, Dash and Jack Jack—are the same height, but grown up in their superhero abilities as the conceit here is that they sneak out of the house more. No other major studio pics are versing Incredibles 3 yet.
Marvel’s Ghost Rider – announced for 2028 without a specific date on the Gosling starring, Shawn Levy directed feature, but a good guess is that it’s going to July 28 that year as Disney has that weekend on hold in Rentrak. If it is July 28, well, that’s the penultimate end of summer date where Deadpool & Wolverine, Brand New Day and Fantastic Four: First Steps have soared. You’d be crazy to date against this movie.
Marvel’s Black Panther 3 – Dec. 15, 2028Clearly, the Christmas event movie of the year. Universal has an untitled tentpole dated five days later on Dec. 20.
That’s quite a killer lineup on paper alone, and more powerful from what’s already on deck in 2027 for Disney, which we’ll sift through below. Here’s some takeaways from last night’s fireworks:
Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies Are No Longer in Superhero Fatigue
With three MCU titles dated for 2028, that’s absolutely clear, and with MCU Boss Kevin Feige involved in the success of Sony’s highest grossing movie of all-time, the Marvel Studios co-production Spider-Man: Brand New Day at $1.8B+, “It’s not about IP,” says one Disney executive talking about the success of that rival film. “It’s about making great movies. Spider-Man: Brand New Day isn’t successful because it’s a Spider-Man movie, it’s successful because it’s an excellent, fun movie.” That’s the plan for MCU going forward: Reliable and fun-filled filmmakers and talent like Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy involved in Ghost Rider, and a murderers’ row of thespians in X-Men such as Driver, Obsession breakout Navarrette, Christopher Abbott and Samara Weaving, to name a few.