The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever expanding place that has become a powerful force in the entertainment industry over the last decade and change. On top of the highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies, the property has also included live-action TV shows over the last few years. While this has helped give new characters the spotlight, Disney’s CEO recently admitted that the Disney+ content did damage to Marvel Studios as well as Pixar.
Bob Iger is the man behind the House of Mouse, and recently got honest about the strategy of releasing MCU content on Disney+. Specifically the various live-action shows that have been rolled out over the last few years. While speaking with CNBC’s Squawk Box (via The Wrap), Iger got honest about the negative effect of shows like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, saying:
Marvel’s a great example of that. They had not been in the TV business at any significant level. Not only did they increase their movie output, but they ended up making a number of television series, and frankly, it diluted focus and attention. That is, I think, more of the cause than anything.
Well, that was honest. It looks like the powers that be at Disney are aware of the downside to their Marvel live-action shows. While Secret Invasion is currently airing, I have to wonder if the studio will pump the brakes on these projects. Bob Iger certainly doesn’t seem happy with the way it might have negatively influenced the shared universe as a whole.
Over the last few years there’s been some discourse online about the concept of superhero fatigue. While fans are still invested in the MCU, Iger seems to think that the extra content on Disney+ is only speeding up this process. And he seems to think the shows are the reason why box office performance of recent movie releases have been somewhat disappointing.
While Marvel fans are still seeing new releases in theaters, they aren’t making the same amount of money they did prior to the release of Avengers: Endgame. Projects like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania have seen a steep box office drop in their second and third weekends in theaters. If Iger is concerned, then I assume Marvel management like Kevin Feige may be feeling the same way.
Of course, this trend might be due to multiple factors, aside from the live-action shows that have joined the MCU. For instance, Phase Four and Five don’t really have an overall narrative that they’re leading to. Those who watched the Marvel movies in order remember the first three phases were building to Thanos and The Infinity Stones, but that type of strategy hasn't been applied to the more recent installments. Although Jonathan Majors’ Kang is expected to be the next big bad of the shared universe.
The next installment in the MCU is The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
