Marvel Studios Is Too Big to Fail

We're just about one month into the new year, and things in fandom are very much getting started. [...]

By Adam Barnhardt

We're just about one month into the new year, and things in fandom are very much getting started. Sure, we're already four episodes into WandaVision (and the box office remains in a constant state of flux,) but there are still hours upon hours of content to be consumed by fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe all around the globe from February to December. Once Marvel Studios' first series wraps up in five weeks, the Kevin Feige-led outfit will prep its remaining schedule, one that includes five additional shows for Disney+ and four theatrical film releases.

Something that might have been evident after Avengers: Endgame broke Avatar's long-held record atop the box office was the fact Marvel Studios was too big to fail. Now, that's for certain.

We're not even half over with WandaVision yet, so some might consider this counting the eggs before they hatch — but the studio's track record speaks for itself. Save for a disastrous backend on the series, the Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany vehicle is a bonafide hit.

Not only is it one of the best-review properties ever released by the studio, but it's also putting up numbers across social media other Marvel properties could only dream of putting up. Initial data provided by Talkwalker suggests somewhere around 4.6 million users interacted with the #WandaVision hashtag in some shape, way, or form whether it be posting it or liking or retweeting a tweet that contains it. That's around 1.5-percent of all registered Twitter accounts around the world.

That's not even considering the subscription revenue Disney+ has made as a direct result of MCU fans signing up just to watch the show. With a weekly release schedule, WandaVision fans will have to subscribe to Disney+ for at least three months to watch each episode as it releases, netting the House of Mouse around $18 per signup.

Better yet, the series is shockingly different than anything the outfit has done before. Even after the series deviated from the wall-to-wall cinematic action Marvel movies are known for, the right numbers appear to be there. Naturally, we can't quantify box office receipts here, but all signs point toward a massive windfall padding the Walt Disney Studios bank account.

Though Disney+ won't reward Marvel Studios with the same numbers the box office does — at least, not in a traditional sense — the release of WandaVision has made one thing apparent. Whatever Feige and his team dream up, no matter how ridiculous in scope, it will end up as a massive success.

Sitcoms? Sure. Feature film franchise featuring long-forgotten characters? Absolutely.

Through the past 13 years, the Marvel Studios brand has built a product and a following that every Hollywood studio desires. Marvel Studios can do anything it wants because it's too big to fail.

Cover photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Trending Now: