As we’ve noticed, Marvel is slowing the pace of releases, with only one theatrical release in 2024 in Deadpool & Wolverine as a result of Hollywood strike action last year. However, when things get back to normal, Disney CEO Bob Iger says the MCU will be reduced to no more than three films a year and fewer shows on streaming.
As part of the company’s quarterly earnings call, Disney’s top executive says this is an overall strategy to reduce output and focus on quality, a strategy “that’s particularly true with Marvel” after the superhero giant struggled to replicate the unprecedented success of The Infinity Saga with its Phase Four and Phase Five output.
“We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three,” says the exec.
He goes on to add that Marvel has “a couple of good films in 2025, and then we’re heading to more Avengers, which we’re extremely excited about. Overall, I feel great about the slate. It’s something, as you know, that I’ve committed to spending more and more time on. The team is one that I have tremendous confidence in, and the IP that we’re mining, including all the sequels that we’re doing, is second to none.”
This also leads Iger to shade some of the upcoming Disney+ series slate, including the WandaVision spinoff Agatha and Wonder Man, which he calls “a vestige of basically a desire in the past to increase volume.”
It’s not just Marvel taking the Bob Iger hit; the other Disney brands will see a franchise-focused retooling. The exec notes, “We’re gonna balance sequels with originals. Specifically in animation, we had gone through a period where our original films and animation, both Disney and Pixar, were dominating. We’re now swinging back a bit to lean on sequels.”
What do you make of this news? Is it a good decision to scale back on the MCU output? Let us know your thoughts on our socials @FlickeringMyth…
Deadpool & Wolverine is directed by Shawn Levy (Free Guy) and stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman alongside Fox/Marvel veterans Jennifer Garner (Elektra), Stefan Kapacic (Colossus), Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), Morena Baccarin (Vanessa), Karan Soni (Dopinder), Leslie Uggams (Blind Al), Shioli Kutsuna (Yukio), Lewis Tan (Shatterstar), Rob Delaney (Peter) and Aaron Stanford (Pyro), with new additions including Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) as Paradox and Emma Corrin (The Crown) as Cassandra Nova.
Deadpool & Wolverine is set for release on July 26th.
