The Marvel Cinematic Universe is still the biggest brand in entertainment, but it has certainly taken a tumble since its highs of the last two Avengers films. Many have wondered just what the problem has been and why some of Marvel’s more recent content just hasn’t hit in the way it once did. It’s been suggested that the audience may have “fatigue” for Marvel, and one analyst thinks that may be the case.
Between the regular release of two to three movies a year, combined with a steady stream of Marvel shows on Disney+, is there just too much Marvel? Wall Street analyst Eric Handler recently told Variety that he thought such a thing was possible, as it’s simply difficult to make everything great when you’re making so much. He explained…
It’s possible. The more you do, the tougher it is to maintain quality. They tried experimenting with breaking in some new characters, like Shang-Chi and Eternals, with mixed results. With budgets as big as these, you need home runs.
While we’ve seen sequels to popular franchises in the MCU, like a fourth Thor and a second Black Panther movie, a big part of the recent films has been about introducing new characters. While the films mentioned in this piece, Shang-Chi and Eternals, had some external concerns like the global pandemic to contend with, it can't be argued that they struggled compared to what came before.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has already implied that perhaps there really has been too much Marvel recently, and it does indicate that the volume of content will slow to one degree or another. Echo was originally set to hit Disney+ this year after Loki wrapped up, but it’s been pushed into January, perhaps as a way of giving people a break.
While Spider-Man: No Way Home was a massive hit and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness came up just short of the billion-dollar global box office mark, many of the other films have struggled. In an absolute sense, the numbers they put up are still pretty good. But compared to their higher-than-usual budgets, as is said here, home runs are what is required. Anything less won’t be considered a success at the studio.
With The Marvels release date coming up this Friday, it will be interesting to see how that movie does at the box office. The first Captain Marvel movie crossed that billion-dollar mark, but the sequel isn’t tracking at that level. If the movie isn’t another massive hit, one has to assume that the studio will take a serious look at all upcoming Marvel movies and series. If what they're doing truly isn't working, then it will change. If the powers-that-be do think that the lack of success is coming from there being too much, then we will almost certainly begin to see less.
