Disney Planning 'Captain America 3'; Second Installment 'The Winters Solider' May Open With $90 Million'

With "Captain America: The Winters Soldier" tracking extremely well Disney has already announced the release date to the third installment.

Variety reports that early numbers suggest the second installment is poised to make $85 to $90 million in its opening weekend—$20 million more than the first installment made on its opening weekend. Back in 2011, the first film opened with $65 million and went on to make $176 million.

If "The Winter Soldier" makes the $90 million in its opening weekend it would become the most successful of Marvel's films, with exception of the "Iron Man" franchise and "The Avengers," and it would also become the third sequel to improve upon its predecessor. Last year, "Thor: The Dark World" opened with $85 million; the first "Thor" film made $65 million in its opening weekend.

With huge box office expectations that "Captain America: The Winter Solider" will reach over $200 million, Disney is already planning a third film for release on May 6, 2016. That would put the film up against Warner Bros.' Marvel superhero film "Batman vs. Superman." President of Marvel Kevin Feige has already stated that he has no intention of moving the date.

However, plans are still tentative for the third "Captain America," so that release date could change. There is currently no script and production has yet to start, and given the three year turnaround between the first and second installments of "Captain America," the release seems a bit early. Also, the showdown with Marvel may not occur as Warner Bros. could easily change the film's release date.

Both companies' films would mostly likely lose if they are released against one other. "Captain America" could be the biggest loser in that scenario; when the first movies in the franchises were released on the same day, "Man of Steel" made $291 million domestically while "Captain America" made $176 million. 

"The Winter Soldier" is scheduled to make its world premiere on Thursday and will be released in April before the crowded summer starts. The early release may help the company in the long run as it will not have to compete with other comic book movies.

Warner Bros. has already benefited from an early release for "The Lego Movie." That film has already taken in $228 million and is expected to make $250 million by the end of its run.

"The Winter Soldier" stars Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, and Anthony Mackie. The movie was directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and is expected out on April 4. The film tells the story of Steve Rogers' struggles to embrace his role in the modern world as he battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.