Lately, Phases Four and Five of the MCU have been hit and miss, with some titles like Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever becoming high performers. Meanwhile, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania didn’t perform well at the box office, and She-Hulk received negative reviews despite receiving a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. To combat Marvel Studios‘ current mediocre performance, Disney has announced that it will be pulling back on its content output.
The Walt Disney Company’s CEO, Bob Iger, recently announced that it would slow down the production of future Marvel and Star Wars titles, both movies and TV shows. According to CNBC, Iger said that this isn’t just a cost-saving initiative. He also believed that the overproduction of these shows and films “diluted focus and attention.”
“You pull back not just to focus, but also as part of our cost containment initiative. Spending less on what we make, and making less…
“…Marvel is a great example of that. It had not been in the television business at any significant level, and not only did they increase their movie output, but they ended up making a number of TV series. Frankly, it diluted focus and attention.”
When Kevin Feige announced his plans for Phases 5 to 6 during Comic-Con 2022, fans wondered how all of those titles, including the Disney Plus series, would be produced due to the tight schedules. At the same time, James Gunn revealed that he didn’t know where Guardians of The Galaxy: Vol. 3 sat in the Marvel timeline until Comic-Con. And let’s not forget the VFX artists who exposed Marvel Studios for poor working conditions.
While this recent announcement might sound disappointing, it could be the right move for Disney, especially due to the lackluster performance recent titles received and the ongoing delays for some Marvel productions like Blade, which led to other Marvel titles having their release dates pushed. It could give producers and writers (once the strikes are over) the opportunity to create better stories.
It could also slow down the oversaturation of Marvel titles, especially for those who are new to the franchise. It could even give Marvel some time to do justice to its characters. Hayley Atwell recently expressed her disappointment when Captain Carter was killed off immediately in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Meanwhile, Sam Raimi took on the Doctor Strange sequel without even watching WandaVision.
Marvel Studios may be a superhero juggernaut, but what’s the point of releasing films and Disney Plus originals if they won’t perform well, or if the stories feel weird or out of place because someone didn’t know what happened previously? It is very unlikely that already announced projects will be shelved, especially since Deadpool 3 has entered production and some titles are on hold due to the ongoing strikes. At the very least, this executive decision by Iger could be seen as an advantage for Marvel, and an opportunity to slow down and reflect on their beloved characters and the stories behind them.
