Since “Captain Marvel 2” became the worst-performing Marvel movie in history, the once-popular Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been struggling at the box office. On the 8th local time, Marvel Studios admitted to the failure but announced a strong comeback plan, with Disney unveiling a new distribution strategy for Marvel movies.
To combat the poor performance of “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” and “Captain Marvel 2,” as well as the audience fatigue from the influx of superhero movies on Disney+, Marvel Studios, under Disney, has begun reducing the number of film and TV releases, promising a renewed focus on quality. Apart from only one Marvel movie, “Deadpool and Wolverine,” being released in theaters this year, there will be only two to three Marvel movies scheduled for the coming years.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and Co-President Louis D’Esposito, in an interview with Empire magazine, spoke about their commitment to turning things around. D’Esposito admitted, “It’s been a tough period. If we continue with the same output, it will lead to bad results. We’ve taken a hit, but we are ready for a strong return.”
“Perhaps by making too many movies, we weakened ourselves. We won’t do that anymore. We’ve learned our lesson, maybe making two to three movies and one to two TV shows per year, instead of four movies and four TV shows,” D’Esposito added.
Feige expressed confidence in the solo MCU film being released this year, “Deadpool and Wolverine,” stating, “It feels good to fully focus on releasing a distinctive film this year. I’m willing to accept failure and more willing to bring surprises, unexpected surprises. Last year wasn’t ideal, but we are prepared for it.”
According to Variety, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed Marvel’s new strategy during the quarterly earnings call on the 7th, stating, “We will gradually reduce our output, producing only about two TV shows per year instead of the current four, and the film output will decrease from four movies per year to two, not exceeding three. We are striving to follow this path.” Iger mentioned that more “Avengers” content will be introduced in the future.
However, the statement and plans of Disney’s CEO seem to contradict the movie slate for 2025 publicly released by Disney in April, indicating that Marvel may readjust the film release dates. According to the already publicized movie list from Disney, next year will see the release of four major films including “Captain America 4: Brave New World,” “Thunder Squad,” “Fantastic Four: Reborn,” and “Blade Warrior.”
In foreign media reports, there have been rumors that “Blade Warrior” has undergone multiple script rewrites and changes in screenwriters and directors, making it a potential sacrificial piece in Disney’s new plan.