Disney Execs Worried Marvel Movie Streaming Releases Would Hurt MCU

Disney executives feared that releasing Marvel films on streaming would do harm to the brand according to an inside report. After a year-long delay, Black Widow was finally released on July 9, 2021, in both theaters and part of the Disney+ Premier Access program where subscribers could buy the movie for $30. The film had the biggest opening weekend since the COVID-19 pandemic with an impressive $80.4 million in ticket sales and $60 million in purchases on Disney+.

However, the film had a drastic 67% drop in its second weekend and fell behind Space Jam: A New Legacy. The film has now struggled at the box-office and currently as of this writing is the second lowest-grossing film in the MCU domestically, just ahead of 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Theater owners criticized Disney for this, saying the decision to release it on streaming the same day as theaters hurt but the film and the theater industry. Now, star Scarlett Johansson has filed a lawsuit against Disney for violating her contract for an exclusive theatrical release.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Disney executives feared that streaming would have a negative impact on the MCU films. Insiders report that many believed that releasing Black Widow and any other MCU film on streaming would do overall harm to the Marvel brand. Marvel Studios is one of the most successful film franchises to date where all 24 films have opened to number 1 at the box office where many installments gross over $1 billion in worldwide tickets.

Jungle Cruise is currently the last film that is planned for the theatrical release and Disney+ Premier Access strategy. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will release exclusively in theaters and have a shortened 45 window before going to streaming. However, the rise of COVID-19 cases may lead more people to avoid going to the theater which could hurt box office performance and affect how Disney and the various studios react. Disney is then left with keeping Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' release date and seeing how it performs, releasing it on Disney+ as well and possibly hurt the MCU brand more but guarantee a certain among of money, or postpone the release and shift the entire slate back again.

Phase 4 of the MCU started in a way that was never intended to. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive delay to the schedule, where instead of a film kicking it off it was the television series, WandaVision. Then two more series (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki) followed before Black Widow got released, which was a prequel for character audiences already knew was not coming back. After a year of no Marvel Studios films, now audiences have gotten accustomed to seeing new Marvel at home.

The next two films, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals are new franchises that are going to have to find a way to attract audiences. Their box office stories could be one of the breakout surprises like Guardians of the Galaxy or respectable but not impressive Ant-Man. The following Marvel films will all be sequels to popular franchises like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Thor which are likely to perform better than the new series. Black Widow could be an isolated incident or a trend of what is to come. The full impact of if streaming hurt the Marvel brand may not be known for a long time if at all.

Next: Why Pixar Employees Are Right To Be Upset By Disney's Release Model

Source: The Wall Street Journal