THE MARVELS: Marvel Studios Knew Movie Was "In Trouble" Before Release; Disney Blamed For Streaming Push

THE MARVELS: Marvel Studios Knew Movie Was "In Trouble" Before Release; Disney Blamed For Streaming Push

New details have emerged about how Marvel Studios is handling The Marvels' disappointing opening weekend, including the role an increase in streaming content has had on recent misfires. Check it out...

By JoshWilding - Nov 14, 2023 12:11 PM EST
Filed Under: The Marvels
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

During its opening weekend, The Marvels made only $46.1 million in North America. Monday wasn't any better, with a $2.4 million haul (-74%) which puts the movie in the same ballpark as Dark Phoenix, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, and Morbius

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Marvel Studios and Disney were well aware The Marvels was in trouble before it hit the big screen." The trade doesn't elaborate on their concerns but notes that, "There was also a recognition that Feige and his team needed time to take a stock of their theatrical tentpoles."

This lines up with recent comments made by Disney CEO Bob Iger which saw him suggest the studio as a whole has "lost focus" as part of a quantity over quality approach to producing content. 

That came as a result of Bob Chapek's attempts to shore up Disney+'s offerings, though the ball was set in motion by Iger before his departure. 

Unsurprisingly, "Feige and his team felt this mandate keenly, to [the] detriment of Marvel’s movies" Now, changes are being made, both in terms of how MCU TV shows are produced (they'll no longer be made like movies and will instead be helmed by proper showrunners) and Marvel Studios' big screen offerings. 

2024, for example, will see the release of only one MCU movie: Deadpool 3. That's said to be a, "[Multiverse] spanning feature that will set the stage for Marvel’s upcoming Avengers movies."

Potentially confirming claims Captain America: Brave New World is set to undergo extensive reshoots, the trade points out that while the release date delays are partly due to the Hollywood strikes, "[that reason] wasn’t the only one."

Addressing The Marvels' box office woes, one film producer asks, "Why not simply make Captain Marvel 2? Why produce The Marvels when your audience identified, empathized, and even hero-identified with Brie Larson’s character? More importantly, why offer people similar or the same characters and stories that are on Disney+ if you expect them to go to a theater together? Disney/Marvel diluted their product."

"Of course, a picture works or fails for other reasons too, but losing so much value picture-over-picture is rare and hard to do."

Once again, it's good to know Marvel Studios is doing something about these recent issues and, hopefully, when the Multiverse Saga reaches its conclusion, these rocky patches will be a distant memory.

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ThorArms
ThorArms - 11/14/2023, 12:37 PM
Yeah, they should have never tried to interconnect the shows with the movies, except for some light references that they exist.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 11/14/2023, 12:49 PM
@ThorArms - I feel like that's the problem. Ms. Marvel should have been released leading up to The Marvels. It would have hyped it up better. Loki season 2 should have released sometime after The Marvels. Marvel thought Loki would hype up The Marvels and it didn't.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 11/14/2023, 12:53 PM
@ThorArms -
It sounded like a good idea at the time and it was the original impetus for AOS. The same problems occured then as now, different production schedules and confusing plot lines but I think AOS did better it's first two seasons just discussing what happend in the movies. I like the idea of Daredevil on the TV and special stuff now and again. If you have to watch the TV to make sense of the movies it's a fail but that's what the rapacious businessmen wanted.
JDL
JDL - 11/14/2023, 2:09 PM
@Goldboink - It worked in the comics (mostly) so someone assumed it would work in the movies. Nope.

What bugs me is Feige said a decade ago that you would never have to watch a Marvel TV show to understand a Marvel Movie and then the mess of the last few years happened. What I think happened (imo) is that they thought if they did a little bit of explanation to cover the relevant parts of the TV series that segues with the Movie that that would satisfy the audience and it. did. not.. YMMV.

Perhaps the way to go is to intro a TV character in a movie, though that would, given my pov, mean the character would not be in any more movies.
EpicMan
EpicMan - 11/14/2023, 2:10 PM
@ThorArms - This movie doing bad had nothing to do with Disney+ shows..... I called it last year this movie was DOA... and then all the simps came out of the wood working claiming the billion the first one did completely ignoring its release placement.

Brie Larson... Get woke go broke.... She doesn't care for or make movies for men.... Disney made it clear this movie was about women, by women, and for women.

She/Disney has ostracized their biggest fan base, Men... Especially men who care about source material.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 11/14/2023, 2:24 PM
@EpicMan - Y'all gotta stop throwing the word woke around so much. Goddman that makes y'all look unintelligent.

Also, The Marvels has been out for one weekend. Lol. Y'all are so quick to talk shit. With the positive buzz around it, I wouldn't be surprised if it picked up steam. Because it was actually a fun movie.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 11/14/2023, 2:26 PM
@ThorArms - Fvck that. The shows interconnecting has made the experience much better. I love having different methods of storytelling for the same universe. Not to mention, it seems other studios are following that trend and trying to broaden their universes to varying mediums like tv shows.
OleBobbyTiger
OleBobbyTiger - 11/14/2023, 2:38 PM
@EpicMan - Based on your comments and your username, I don't feel like you are trying to compensate for anything at all.

Elle79
Elle79 - 11/14/2023, 2:55 PM
@Tonic24k - The shoe fits - it was woke.

And it wasn’t good and the word of mouth is pretty bad. This movie is a complete financial bomb. Try to live in reality
EpicMan
EpicMan - 11/14/2023, 3:05 PM
@Tonic24k - The Echo show is DOA as well... I will only watch the episodes with the Daredevil cameo.
EpicMan
EpicMan - 11/14/2023, 3:07 PM
@RoberTiger - Those were literally her sentiments..... so i just obliged her.
OleBobbyTiger
OleBobbyTiger - 11/14/2023, 3:27 PM
@EpicMan - What does that have to do with you totally not compensating for anything?
Goldboink
Goldboink - 11/14/2023, 4:04 PM
@JDL -
I think a lot of things changed when the pandemic hit at the same time as D+. The thinking changed and they had all that Endgame money and it burned a hole in thier pockets. They cranked out as much product as they could rather than taking thier time. They tried to appeal to segmented audiences rather than going for mass appeal. They took a lot of risks that didn't pan out and hopefully learned thier lesson.

Take a deep breath. Clean up this mess and reset with X-Men and FF and a few of the newer characters that seem to be working but stop cranking out dubious projects and give us the cream, just the cream.
JoJo1982
JoJo1982 - 11/14/2023, 4:23 PM
@Elle79 - what does woke mean?

This is the problem ppl who said have a problem explaining without looking ignorant
JDL
JDL - 11/14/2023, 8:06 PM
@Goldboink - "I think a lot of things changed when the pandemic hit at the same time as D+. The thinking changed and they had all that Endgame money and it burned a hole in thier pockets."

Not exactly. The money from Endgame was not an issue. It was that it was becoming clear that streaming was absolutely destroying linear TV and they had to become a player in that area now or never.

"They cranked out as much product as they could rather than taking thier time."

Not really. They could have easily put out more going with a TV approach.

"They tried to appeal to segmented audiences rather than going for mass appeal."

Wow no. You attract more people this way. But that said expectations have to be tempered especially when you are trying something artsy-fartsy like She-Hulk.

"They took a lot of risks that didn't pan out and hopefully learned thier lesson."

What didn't pan out almost without fail was linking the streaming shows to the movies. The shows themselves as a separate matter are another thing altogether. I liked most of them, it sounds like that you....not so much. My real problem was the cost was way the hell out of bounds imo.

"Take a deep breath. Clean up this mess and reset with X-Men and FF and a few of the newer characters that seem to be working but stop cranking out dubious projects and give us the cream, just the cream."

I want more variety than that EVEN IF I DON'T LIKE SOME OF IT.
LordHarryLatts
LordHarryLatts - 11/14/2023, 12:40 PM
The first Captain Marvel was released between two much better movies...and did well due to possible connections to them. This one had no such luck...forcing Marvel to realize Larson and Captain Marvel are not box office draws.
MadThanos
MadThanos - 11/14/2023, 12:46 PM
@LordHarryLatts - that producer is in denial. The push for Captain Marvel was Feige's first big mistake.
RitoRevolto
RitoRevolto - 11/14/2023, 12:50 PM
@LordHarryLatts - Well, they could have been if Marvel had written the character better/given us some sort of emotional attachment to her. I like Brie (I know the vast majority here don't), but me caring more about what's going on with Monica and Kamala in what's technically Carol's sequel probably means there's some issues of disconnect.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 11/14/2023, 1:29 PM
@MadThanos @LordHarryLatts - But the producer is correct, it shouldve been capt marvel 2 not the marvels. no 1 cares about ms marvel or photon who were just tv shows that majority of moviegoers dont watch. they shouldve just capitalized on capt marvel and made her push as big as wonder woman if not bigger.

1st movie made 1 billion alot of people enjoyed and repeat watched it. not buying the it only made 1 billion becuz endgame was coming after it, becuz if that was the case antman 2 shouldve made 1 billion dollars too and it didnt
videovac
videovac - 11/14/2023, 7:21 PM
"Well, they could have been if Marvel had written the character better/given us some sort of emotional attachment to her. I like Brie (I know the vast majority here don't), but me caring more about what's going on with Monica and Kamala in what's technically Carol's sequel probably means there's some issues of disconnect." - @RitoRevolto

That was by design. You cared about the costars more than the star. That was by design. Them fukcing over around Danvers was by design. They did the same bullshit to Miles in the second animated Miles movie. He gets out-shadowed and over-shadowed by other people in (supposedly) his own movie.

The fukcing powers-that-be, are undermining her before people even know there's going to be a movie about her. Shit, this actually goes all the way back to the comics. They assassinated her character bygiving her a different costume and trying to force this Wonder Woman-level of prestige and role upon her.

There's no coincidence, none, that you care about other characters more than her, in her "own follow-up". She's practically Henry Cavill, but American and female.
HistoryofMatt
HistoryofMatt - 11/14/2023, 12:44 PM
I do think it's hilarious that the anonymous producer thinks the first crappy movie made money because anyone in large numbers identified and empathized with Brie Larson as opposed to Disney's marketing that the movie was ESSENTIAL to understanding what happened in Infinity War and Endgame, which is one of the biggest bait and switches of all time.

This movie's failure is very much a reaction to the audience being tricked by the first movie, Larson's wooden portrayal of an over-powered "perfect" aka boring character, and the continued push of Woke politics into all of their content by Disney instead of making good movies with an interesting story and engaging characters. When everyone in the movie is there, including the writers and director, not because of their talent but because they allow Disney to check off ESG / DEI boxes on a form they get from BlackRock, it's easy to see in the end result.

Also, instead of learning from the continued rejection of all of their Woke nonsense, Kevin Feige is refusing to learn his lesson by pushing forward with Woke Avengers, excuse me, "Young" Avengers, which audiences will also reject.

The problem with making movies and television shows like this, with Woke politics are your guiding light instead of quality, people stop trusting you. So when you make a show as good as Andor was, no one watches it because you've ruined your relationship with your audience. No one thinks of Disney as making quality content anymore. The vast majority of fans now only identify Disney with making preachy garbage no one wants to see. It's a shame. And I don't say that with irony or sarcasm, because it is actually a shame. The Infinity Saga was, for the most part, excellent. There's been two movies since that were also excellent and they were the ones Disney had the least control over (No Way Home and Guardians 3). Other than that, Disney has absolutely ruined Marvel and Lucasfilm, and it is a shame.
tvor03
tvor03 - 11/14/2023, 12:54 PM
@HistoryofMatt - I don’t like woke-ness either, but can you explain how anything in Captain Marvel or The Marvels was woke? I haven’t seen the movie yet, probably seeing it tomorrow, but nothing in the trailers screams liberal, white guilt to me.
Nomis929
Nomis929 - 11/14/2023, 12:46 PM
"Why not simply make Captain Marvel 2? Why produce The Marvels when your audience identified, empathized, and even hero-identified with Brie Larson’s character?


marvel72
marvel72 - 11/14/2023, 12:46 PM
Deadpool 3 will save Disney if they haven't f*cked it.
WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 11/14/2023, 12:52 PM
@marvel72 - If done well, DP3 quite possibly might beat out Joker for highest grossing Rated R movie of all time.
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