Last Friday, Disney (DIS 0.31%) Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier officially became the highest-grossing domestic April film of all time.
As of right now, Winter Soldier has grossed more than $228 million in the U.S. -- well ahead of Fast Five's previous $209 million April high mark -- and should have little trouble exceeding $650 million worldwide by the end of this weekend. Considering Captain America: The First Avenger barely broke $370 million worldwide in 2011, there's no doubt Winter Soldier's stellar performance is an incredible accomplishment for Disney.
But according to the Fool's Steve Symington in the video below, this begs an important question: If Disney knows its Captain America franchise can dominate in April, then why is Captain America 3 still slated for release on May 6, 2016? That is, after all, the same weekend as Time Warner's (TWX +0.00%) big-budget sequel, Superman vs. Batman.
The answer, Steve says, is that it marks the official beginning of the lucrative summer box office season, during which a Marvel film has achieved jaw-dropping numbers by launching in May for the past two years. It's easy to understand, then, why Time Warner would want to rain on Disney's parade with its own blockbuster hopeful.
However, thanks in part to the expected momentum from 2015's The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve argues it's not Disney, but rather Time Warner, that faces the greatest risk in pitting its super-powered franchise against Marvel's proven winners. To hear Steve's full take, please watch the video below.
