Marvel Studios Battling ‘Superhero Fatigue’ With Back-To-Back MCU Flops; Rethinks Strategy
Of late, Marvel Studios is battling a lull at the box office. The “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” film released over a year ago was going to take the production house to the next level, But alas, it became a dud in crunching numbers. Per insider reports, the Walt Disney division faces a huge “Superhero Fatigue,” and ad makers are rethinking their vision.
Dented Aura at the Box Office
The golden charm that movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) used to command is no longer existing. With the last session of the “Ant-Man” franchise, they introduced a new villain and backdrop and paved the way for many years of filmmaking. However, when the film failed to reach the expected milestones, their storytelling plans have now gone into a replanning mode.
This set back the production house to a new low, since this was the first flop/disappointment in over 15 years of undoubted successes.
“They’re not going to give up,” a source says about the chief architect of the scripts, Kevin Feige. Even the fans are not going to quit looking forward to their years-long cinematic escapades. Now, the studio is focussing on correcting the blunders, PR missteps, and production nightmares post the performance of the Peyton Reed film.
Many Releases Lined Up
They released the “Deadpool & Wolverine” trailer two weeks ago during the Super Bowl. The 30-second clip garnered over 365 million views within 24 hours of broadcast, setting the record as the most-watched trailer of all time. This too, is amidst the general decline in public interest in the superhero genre.
These numbers give hope to the studio, whose last film “The Marvels” grossed a mere $206 million worldwide, the lowest in their 33-film run. On Valentine’s Day, “The Fantastic Four” cast was revealed, teasing a retro setting in the 1960s.
In a back-to-back attempt to keep the audience hooked, the next day itself, the “X-Men ‘97” trailer came out. It is an animation series to be available on Disney+ on a grand scale, along with other Marvel shows like “Star Wars” and “What If…?”
However, only “Deadpool & Wolverine” will come out this year as makers plan to reduce output. “We’ve to ensure the films we’re making can be even better,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger, “Some of our studios lost a little focus. So the first step that we’ve taken is that we’ve reduced volume.”
Marvel Studios Is Internally Reorganising
Marvel is making many public-facing moves as well as internal revamping under studio boss Kevin Feige. They’ve hired Eric Pearson, who was behind “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Black Widow,” to refine the script for “Fantastic Four.” “The Bear” showrunner Joanna Calo also came on board for the “Thunderbolts” script. MCU is set on cleaning up creative messes.
“Captain America: New World Order” got delayed due to the Hollywood dual strike, and will be released in Feb 2025. Disney+ shows like “Blade” and “Agatha: Darkhold Diaries” are undergoing reshoots. “Avengers” actor Jonathan Majors’ harassment scandal also cost Marvel Studios its reputation and they have dropped him from the next film.
