The Batman Part II delayed as Warner Bros. shifts release dates amid studio struggle

Warner Bros., the storied movie studio owned by media conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD), has shuffled the release dates for several upcoming films, including the highly anticipated The Batman Part II, amid an ongoing struggle at the box office.

Warner Bros. shares fell 2.3% in late afternoon trading on Tuesday.

Starring Robert Pattinson as the legendary caped crusader Bruce Wayne/Batman, the Matt Reeves-helmed sequel will now debut in theaters on Oct. 2, 2026, nearly a year after its original release date of Oct. 3, 2025. Warner Bros. did not provide a reason for the release date change.

The first movie in the Reeves trilogy, The Batman, generated $772.2M at the box office and was received well both critically and by fans, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

The Penguin, a series set in The Batman universe, is slated to be released on Warner Bros. Discovery's Max streaming service later this year.

Warner Bros. still has one comic book movie set for 2025, Superman, directed by DC Studious boss James Gunn. The movie stars David Corenswet as the titular comic book character.

Other changes

The Bride, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal — who previously starred in another Batman movie, The Dark Knight — takes over The Batman Part II's old slot of Oct. 3, 2025.

Aside from the change to The Batman sequel, Warner Bros. changed the release dates of several other movies, including Alto Knights, a mob drama starring Robert De Niro in two roles.

Previously known as Wise Guys, the film moves to March 21, 2025 from Nov. 15, 2024. De Niro plays rival mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello in a dual role.

Warner Bros. also dated the upcoming movie from director Paul Thomas Anderson for Aug. 8, 2025. The movie, whose plot details have not been released, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Hall and others. Filming is currently underway.

Studio struggles

The changes come at a time when Warner Bros. movie studio has underperformed.

In its most recent quarter, the company said studios revenues fell 18% year-over-year to $3.17B from the year ago. Speaking on the earnings call, Chief Executive David Zaslav said the studio has underperformed in recent memory.

"Bottom line, the studio has really been underperforming and -- including the end of the year, where we had some real struggle, but we're very optimistic about this year and it gives us a chance to have a lot of upside in the next two years," Zaslav said. "I mean, it was really a struggle."