Is Marvel really on a tightrope? The MCU has not said its last word

Its box office is more and more feverish, its series more and more ignored and the distrust of the industry more and more fierce. But Marvel is still far from admitting defeat.

Almost five years later, Marvel still hasn’t managed to make the switch. In spring 2019, Avengers: Endgame concluded Phase III of the MCU in a deluge of fire and action rarely seen in cinema. With a historic success close to 3 billion dollars, beaten only by Avatar at the box office of all time. At another time, this 22nd film (!) of Marvel Cinematic Universe would probably have been the last, closing the franchise by offering it an exit through the front door.

But in 21st century Hollywood, it’s impossible to say goodbye to such a goose that lays the golden eggs. Disney has obviously put parts back into the machine. Lots of pieces. Without ever regaining his superheroic mojo. Its phase IV, industrially backed by the launch of the Disney Plus platform, sounded like a real artistic regression. Of Black Widow has Black Panther 2 Passing by The Eternals Or Thor 4none of the announced hits really found favor in the eyes of the critics, or even the public, who noticeably began to turn away from the MCU.

The failures of Phases IV and V

Concretely, Wakanda Forever brought in half a billion less than the first Black Panther. Attempts to stretch the universe towards Asia (Shang-Chi) or towards Oscar-winning auteur cinema (via Chloe Zhao) barely crossed $400 million. And since Avengers: Endgameonly films Spiderman co-produced with Sony – or 2 out of 10 – managed to pass the billion dollar revenue mark. The most worrying being the missed Quantumania last February, since Ant-Man 3 was to establish Kang as the big villain of the MCU for the coming years. A crucial step in the long-term plan. But the very cold reception from fans combined with private matters (a trial will take place in a few weeks) which affect Jonathan Majors are likely to encourage Marvel to review his copy, even if it means replacing Majors along the way… or even Kang!

It is undeniable, the Marvel Universe has lost its aura. It has lost its stability and its ability to sell anything and everything to the public. So the famous superhero tired is she really there?

Box office reality

Not necessarily. If the MCU is not in top form, you have to look at the box office figures with a little perspective. For example, if the booed Thor: Love and Thunder actually did a little worse than the much appreciated Thor: Ragnarok (760 million against 840 million), it still performed significantly better than Thor: The Dark World (640 million in 2013) or Thor (450 million in 2011). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are on par with the Flight. 2 (850 million) and brought in much more than the first (650 million in 2014). For his part, the Multiverse of Madness (955 million) exploded the score of Doctor Strange original (680 million in 2016).

No, Marvel films have not been flops in recent years. On the other hand, they face a serious profitability problem. Production costs have increased, without the investment being systematically worthwhile. So The Marvels arrives in theaters this week without any certainty, but with the 4th biggest budget in the history of Marvel Studios ! According to Forbes, Disney put a whopping $274.8 million into the production, offset by British subsidies of $55 million, for a final bill of $220 million. We must add to this sum the marketing budget (which can reach up to 100 million for a superhero film) and remember that not all box office revenues end up in the pockets of Disney (in the United States). , the studios recover around half, in Europe a third and in China only a quarter). Thus, we estimate that The Marvels will have to bring in at least $600 million to be considered a theatrical success by the group.

Marvel Studios is well aware of these expensive excesses and Variety argues in a recent report that the studio is now seeking to lower its production costs, like the film, Blade now planned for 2025, and which should be done for a budget of less than 100 million dollars! Very far from the maddening figures ofAnt-Man 3, Black Panther 2, Thor 4 Or Guardians 3whose budgets were between 200 and 250 million.

The industry strikes back

An economic necessity, which goes hand in hand with the ongoing revolution in the field of special effects, including Marvel is very dependent. Subjected to enormous pressure for several years, in particular due to the frantic pace of MCUemployees of Marvel Studios’ visual effects (VFX) have decided to unionize! A historic vote, since it is a first in Hollywood since visual effects were launched almost half a century ago. A unionization which follows serious rants posted anonymously online (via Reddit) for months, to denounce the unrealistic deadlines and the overload of work imposed on VFX artists working for Marvelwhich some believe to have “the worst management in the market.”

Not very positive for the image of a family and popular franchise. Especially since at the same time, the undivided domination of superhero films is seriously starting to annoy Hollywood. The last great American filmmakers have launched, in recent months, into a real rebellion against Marvel Universe. A public battle, almost philosophical-ethical, which aims to discredit the cinema proposed by Kevin Feige and his troops.

Quentin Tarantino recently paid his actors, “who became famous playing these characters. They’re not movie stars. Captain America is the star. Thor is the star.“Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth will appreciate it.”I’m not even putting them back, frankly, to tell you the truth… But hey, it’s one of the legacies of the Marvelization of Hollywood films” he asserted.

James Cameronfor his part, tackled the digital effects of superhero films: “Thanos? Let’s go. A little serious. Have you seen Avatar: The Voice of Water? We don’t play in the same league…”

Leader of this anti-Marvel discontent, Martin Scorsese published an article in the New York Times, in which he bluntly expressed his aversion to this type of cinema: “I developed a sense of the films (what they were and what they could be) as far from the Marvel universe as Earth can be from Alpha Centauri,” he says. he before speaking of cinema as an “art form” regretting that the films of MCU are made for “satisfy very specific requests (…) after market studies, tests with the public, validations, modifications, until it is ready to be consumed.”

A denigration poorly digested by the co-director of Avengers, Joe Russo, who did not hesitate to go into public clash with Scorsese, opposing his films made for the Oscars to his own, made for the box office. Proof of the tension currently reigning in Hollywood around superhero blockbusters that some would like to see disappear.

Marvel’s New Battle Plan

Marvel felt the wind turn. The studio understands that the momentum is not in its favor and begins to review its strategic copy, starting with the series. The failures Secret Invasion And She-Hulknot far from being industrial accidents, led the big boss Bob Iger – CEO of Disney – to step up to the plate, even if it meant making his mea culpa: “Our rush to expand our content significantly, primarily to serve our streaming offerings, has ended up taxing our audience far more than necessary in terms of their time and attention…Marvel has increased its movie production, but also television series, and frankly it hurts attention and concentration. I think that’s what’s causing it.”

The cause behind below-expected box office numbers. So the group decided to calm down the playoffs. She will produce it in smaller quantities. And above all rethink the way you design them. Daredevil: Born Again is the first to pay the price. Half-shot, the new iteration of the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante is put on pause for reinvention. We guess that Disney will also limit the interactions between the small and big screen, which have blurred the narration of the MCU lately. A burden for filmmakers who suffer, for example The Marvelswhich is presented in theaters as a sequel to the series Miss Marvel AND WandaVision !

As a result, the studio announced this week the creation of “Marvel Spotlight“, a whole new subcategory Marvelwhich aims to create stories independent of Marvel Universe on television, on a smaller scale. A new surprise banner, under which the next series will already be released Echocoming in early 2024. And all the others after?

Faced with mistrust, faced with controversies, faced with the streaming market, Marvel Studios is trying to regain control and will adapt, by limiting its budgets, limiting its series, readjusting its narrative, with the objective of returning to the top in 2026 and 2027, the release dates of its next two films Avengers, who will act as justice of the peace. Until then, the famous superhero tired seems more like a wish than a reality.