Disney has certainly struggled at the box office in recent years, and it appears the push to add more content to Disney+ might be the main culprit. With reliable names likeStar Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation, and their various live-action remakes, Disney movies dominated the late 2010s box office. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the launch of Disney+, the studio has seen many of its movies struggle at the box office, with even some of its biggest franchises — like theMarvel Cinematic Universe,Indiana Jones, and more — struggling.
A recent report from The Wrap (via Comic Book Movie) suggests that the desire to push out moreStar Warsand Marvel projects has seemingly worn audiences down and devalued the brand. One franchise producer said, “Given the quality of the Marvel Disney+ output has been incredibly mediocre, it’s dragged the entire brand down and diluted its creativity. People don’t care now.” Given the fact thatThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsfaceda major second weekend drop at the box office, audiences might also be opting to wait for the inevitable Disney+ drop instead. Another marketing executive added regardingStar Wars, “When you went to a Star Wars movie, it used to be special. But there’s a difference between let’s have a movie every four years versus let’s have three shows on the air all the time and have a movie every year.”
Are ‘Star Wars’ and the MCU in Trouble, or Is This a New Normal?
Saying that either the MCU or Star Wars has been destroyed certainly seems a bit drastic, given that both properties still make a lot of money through ticket sales and merchandise. Disney also tends to invest long-term in franchises that can be carried over into theme park attractions. This is how amoderate hit likeLilo & Stitchin 2002is now one of Disney’s top-grossing brands, and why they are attempting a third attempt at aTronmovie despite the past two being box office disappointments.
However, there is something to the idea that maybe there was too much of a good thing. A couple of years ago, every studio chased the promise of streaming, that more was always better, and the idea of binge culture was the way to go. The MCU orStar Warsdoubled down on “content,” which seemingly became too much for most audiences, which are mostly made up of casual fans. They enjoyed seeing a new MCU movie every few months, or aStar Warsmovie maybe once a year with their family during the holidays. But eventually, that fun experience became a chore. Couple that with disappointing entries likeThe Book of Boba Fett,Secret Invasion, andAhsoka, and it is easy to see how a brand can burn out. Marvel president Kevin Feige even admitted this earlier this year.
That said, if history has shown anything, it is that it is never too late. In 2006, afterMission: Impossible IIIdisappointed at the box office, it felt like the series was done and would move on from Tom Cruise, but then 2011’sMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocolcame out and revitalized the franchise. It ran for nearly another 14 years untilrecently closing out withThe Final Reckoning. Everyone said the “DC brand was poisoned” except when it wasn’t, as was the case withThe BatmanandSuperman. Marvel andStar Warswill likely be fine. Will they reach the $1 billion threshold every time? Probably not, but even in their glory days, they didn’t always do that. It’s all a matter of expectations, which are admittedly lower now.
