Disney and Marvel moved quickly to fill the void as Sony vacated its release dates for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4.  Sony took both its Amazing Spider-Man sequels off the schedule and added the Spider-Man spin-off title The Sinister Six on November 11, 2016 (see "'Sinister Six' Spin-off Boots 'Amazing Spider-Man'").  Marvel and Disney moved it to snatch the prime May 4th, 2018 date that Sony had reserved for The Amazing Spider-Man 4.
 
Marvel and Disney haven’t announced what film they plan to open on May 4, 2018, but The Hollywood Reporter predicts that it will be Avengers 3, pointing out that Avengers 2 is poised to open in May of 2015, three years after the first Avengers film, and the May, 2018 date would provide a similar gap between the second and third installments of the franchise.
 
Grabbing the May 4, 2018 date is just the latest aggressive move by Disney and its Marvel Studios unit in the wake of the announcement of a ramped up superhero slate from Warner Bros. and DC Comics (see "Warners DC Film Schedule").  Marvel recently glommed onto five prime release dates (see "Marvel Grabs Five More Movie Dates").