Even Disney’s CEO admits that Marvel “diluted” our interest with too much Disney Plus homework
“They made more TV series than they had ever made before” – yes, we noticed!
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Marvelmovies are big business, but Disney is putting on the brakes when it comes to MCU movies and TV shows. The news comes off the back of an interview that Disney CEO Bob Iger did withCNBC, where he admitted that there had been some recent disappointments, and that sheer volume of Marvel movies and shows had become a problem.
During their opening weekends at the box office,Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaandGuardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3grossed $106m and $118m respectively. Although data from CNBC shows that projections had estimated these would reach $110m and $120m instead.
While Iger says that Disney would have liked for these blockbusters to perform better, he thinks it’s reflective of the added pressure that the studio was under to grow its streaming content offering onDisney Plus. Iger singled out Marvel as a great example of a part of the business that buckled under the extra pressure.
The studio did not have a large TV offering before its recent push into streaming. “Not only did they increase their movie output but they made more TV series than they had ever made before”, he said, referencing the likes of the likes ofMoon Knight,She-Hulk,Ms Marvel,Loki, [deep breath]Hawkeye,What If…?andSecret Invasionbefore we even get toMarvel Phase 5releases likeLokiseason two. “Frankly, it diluted focus and attention. That is, I think, more of the cause than anything,” Iger said.
A “new” Marvel
The idea of slowing down production on the MCU is not completely new news. Just last month, we reported howMarvel had delayed multiple MCU movies againdue to the ongoing Hollywood writer’s strike. Earlier this year,The Marvelshad been delayed, which followed a pattern ofmultiple Marvel movies delayedfrom last year.
So, rejigging production schedules isn’t exactly new either but this time round, it has more to do with a larger reshuffling of the company. Ever since Iger did a ‘Steve Jobs’ in 2022 and returned to run the business again, he’s been making a lot of changes, including the potential forremoving more Disney Plus and Hulu TV shows from the service in the coming monthsas part of the cost-cutting effort.
In an interview withVarietyfrom back in March, Iger hinted that some big changes were on the horizon for Marvel in order to attract more box office success. “There’s nothing in any way inherently off in terms of the Marvel brand. I think we just have to look at what characters and stories we’re mining, and you look at the trajectory of Marvel over the next five years, you’ll see a lot of newness. We’re going to turn back to the Avengers franchise, but with a whole different set of Avengers,” he said.
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We’re big fans of the MCU here at TechRadar so it’s great to hear that Iger isn’t slowing down completely. But Phase 4 was arguably the weakest of the whole bunch, while also being the busiest and demanding that you follow what’s happening across everything more than ever. We’ll be glad for our guide onhow to watch the Marvel movies in orderto get a bit more rest in the future.
Amelia became the Senior Editor for Home Entertainment at TechRadar in the UK in April 2023. With a background of more than eight years in tech and finance publishing, she’s now leading our coverage to bring you a fresh perspective on everything to do with TV and audio. When she’s not tinkering with the latest gadgets and gizmos in the ever-evolving world of home entertainment, you’ll find her watching movies, taking pictures and travelling.
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