Marvel has given updated release dates for 5 of their upcoming, guaranteed box office hits.

Spider-Man 4 has been given a release date of May 6th, 2011. The Spider-Man franchise, with the first 3 movies, has generated nearly $2.5 billion worldwide. That’s theatrical, not including DVD and merchandise sales.

Iron Man 2 is now set to open on May 7th, 2010.

Thor was originally set to open on July 16th, 2010, but is now set for June 17th, 2011; nearly a full year later.

The First Avenger: Captain America, is now opening on July 22, 2011, it was originally set for May 6th, 2011.

The Avengers, now opening on May 4th, 2012, was first set to open on July 15th, 2011.

The changes were made to give more exposure for the single character films, all leading up to the big show; The Avengers:

“This new schedule strongly sequences Marvel’s movie debut dates, big screen character introductions and momentum. It maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character The Avengers film in 2012,” said David Maisel, Chairman, Marvel Studios.