For over a decade, Marvel Studios dominated the box office to the extent that MCU films are often used as a benchmark to judge the overall success of other superhero movies. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios experienced a significant shift in how its projects were received, both in acclaim and at the box office. The problem stemmed from the studio being tasked by its parent company, Disney, with increasing output both in theaters and on the then-new Disney+ streaming platform. Now, while promoting The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has addressed the studio’s output issues, stating that the studio needed a slowdown.
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During the press roundtable for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, attended by ComicBook, Feige explained that the studio was overzealous in doubling its output. “I mentioned before about what we’ve all talked about, of the overexpansion, of being overly zealous to tell double the amount of hours of stories in the last five years that we did in the previous 12 years,” Feige explained. “And I do think a slowdown, which we’ve already started to do in TV, and now doing in movies — I love the idea that there’s Fantastic Four, there’s Spider-Man Brand New Day, there’s Avengers Doomsday, a year from now, and a year and a half from now. I think that’s okay. I think that’s okay to let people miss you in the theaters for a little while before coming back in a big way.”
The Marvel Studios Reset Is Overdue
Feige’s comments come as the studio is starting to find its footing again, having refocused on quality over quantity. While Thunderbolts* wasn’t a huge box office smash, it was a start in the right direction, with the film being praised by fans and critics alike. The movie appears to have been well-received by Feige, as well, since he has confirmed that director Jake Schreier will officially helm the studio’s upcoming X-Men reboot. Now, with Fantastic Four: First Steps flying into theaters this weekend, it would appear Marvel Studios has managed to do what Fox couldn’t by crafting a well-received Fantastic Four movie. Following positive word of mouth from early viewers, the movie looks likely to open between $130-$140 million domestically this weekend.
With a tighter grip on the film side, Marvel Studios has also begun to pull back on its small-screen offerings. Agatha All Along was a success for the studio, much like its predecessor WandaVision and the Tom Hiddleston-led Loki. However, the studio has also seen a fair share of misses with its streaming offerings, most notably with the poorly received Secret Invasion series. Luckily, Feige and company appear aware of these shortcomings, and rather than trying to push out a slew of shows, the studio seems keen to focus on the stories that need to be told or that are worth telling. So far, Marvel Studios has the upcoming Vision series, the Punisher special that is in production, and the long-since-wrapped Wonder Man shows on the horizon. The studio also has Daredevil: Born Again, which just recently wrapped its second season. Outside of that, however, Feige has not yet announced any other shows.
Feige seems to have a clear path set for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least for the next seven years. With both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, Marvel Studios looks ready to make fans wait to go back to the movies again. Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18, 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars will hit theaters on December 17, 2027. Next up for Marvel Studios is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which officially opens in theaters on July 25th.
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