A massive calendar shakeup at Disney has caused the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Blade to once again fall by the wayside with a release date now 15 months after it was initially supposed to release in theaters. 

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The Daywalker’s MCU debut was first teased at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, but in the years since it has been hit with one massive delay after another. Just last year its theatrical release was pushed back from Nov. 3, 2023, to Sept. 6, 2024. Now, it’ll slash its way into theaters on Feb. 14, 2025 (barring any further changes, of course). 

The Valentine’s Day release date is surely an intentional move from Marvel, and a smart one at that given the fact the movie has generated nothing but bad buzz year after year and the movie theater is one of the most frequented locations on Valentine’s Day. 

Indeed, Blade needs all the help it can get after losing director Bassam Tariq just weeks before it was to begin shooting in 2022 (he is now replaced by Yann Demange); after hiring a new writer (again) a month before it was supposed to start shooting (again) in May 2023; and after last-minute casting decisions hinted at uncertainty behind the scenes.   

Blade’s theatrical delay to Valentine’s Day 2025 comes following news that production shut down in May (again) in response to the writers’ strike. Hopes were high that it could withstand the turbulence and keep its 2024 release date, but for a film that’s struggled so long to stand on its own two feet, the pushback is unsurprising.

So, in a couple of years, you can plan to ditch the flowers for a bucket of popcorn and your restaurant reservation for a movie ticket because the MCU’s Blade will officially slash its way into theaters on Feb. 14, 2025. At least for now.