by Many people have wondered if Disney+ may deliver direct-to-streaming Marvel movies in light of its success in introducing small-screen storytelling for the MCU, but a recent statement from one of its top executives provided a depressing update.
Due to the shutdown of movie theatres, the pandemic brought an unforeseen alteration to the watching habits of many fans. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was the result, and it was the first film to simultaneously debut on Disney+ and in theatres.
However, when people’s health began to improve, movie theatres eventually started to rebound. This did not, however, prevent Disney+ from launching a number of iconic MCU programmes, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Moon Knight.
While reiterating that “theatrical is a proven way to” create franchises, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek also pointed out that the streaming service has been quite successful, using Black Widow as an illustration.
Marvel has now clarified if a Marvel film will premiere on Disney+ as opposed to in cinemas.
Making MCU Movies on Disney+ as a Producer for Marvel Studios
Nate Moore, a producer for Marvel Studios, was asked by Deadline if viewers might see a direct-to-stream Marvel film on Disney+.
Moore replied “no,” stating that they wanted to “preserve” the ability for shows to be on Disney+ and for films to be shown in theatres:
“No, I mean… and Kevin [Feige], we all are, we’re huge fans of the theatrical experience. And one of the benefits of us being able to do Disney+ series frankly, is that they can co-exist. The series can be on your service and the movies can be in theaters. And that’s something we would like to preserve for as long as we can. And Disney’s been supportive, which is great.”
Moore’s statement was a reiteration of Kevin Feige’s earlier statements about Marvel Studios.
Every Marvel film is developed with the theatrical audience in mind, according to Feige, who explained that it all comes down to “delivering on a promise of an experience:”
“[Every] time we make a film, it is with the expectation of delivering on a promise of an experience, to be experienced together in a theater. And seeing where people laugh or seeing where people get very quiet and still, or where people cheer if we should be so lucky, in moments in the movie…”
The Marvel executive went on to explain that watching the crowd respond to particular scenes in the movie was “the best thing ever”:
“We spend years and years trying to work up to those moments, and being in a theater and seeing it and seeing it happen, there’s nothing better. Every decision we make is from the point of view of sitting in a crowded theater experiencing the story.”
Feige discussed the studio’s strategy for streaming in a different interview at the Emmys. The head of the MCU first acknowledged having “a near-unhealthy love and obsession” as a child with some of the characters on his favourite programmes, including Alice and Little House on the Prairie.
Feige continued by discussing the advantages of streaming, even asserting that it is “100% the future”:
“Streaming is 100 percent the future and where consumers want to watch things. And hopefully they’ll want to watch our longform narrative series. An experience like WandaVision is something you can’t get in a movie. You go to movies for things you can’t get on streaming, and you go to streaming for things you can’t get in a theater. And of course, everything in a theater goes to streaming eventually.”
Why Marvel’s Decision to Avoid Producing Disney+ Films Is Ideal
One of Marvel Studios’ finest choices, in my opinion, was to refrain from producing movies for direct-to-streaming on Disney+. By doing this, the shared universe can be caught up with without forcing casual MCU watchers to watch on Disney+.
Despite the abundance of Disney+ original films, this wouldn’t work with a well-known brand like Marvel because one of the MCU’s greatest strengths is the fan-gathering theatrical experience.
Kevin Feige is attempting to define it, and the experiences of watching the last two Avengers films and Spider-Man: No Way Home are appropriate instances.
The aforementioned films brought people together by serving as a gentle reminder that nothing beats watching a film in a packed cinema. Furthermore, streaming cannot duplicate the theatre experience.
The bulk of MCU movies are currently available to stream on Disney+.
