Official, July 2024 Validated Marvel's MCU Fix Strategy
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been in a turbulent state for years; nonetheless, Marvel Studios's intention to mend the brand came under attention in July 2024. If it wasn't previously obvious enough, Marvel Studios's MCU fixing strategy became abundantly plain in July 2024. For the franchise, 2024 has been a really unusual year. Out of the Marvel film lineup set for 2024, just one made sense for the MCU. While the next Marvel TV show Agatha All Along will carry on the Disney+ franchise's later half of the year's installment count, 2024 represented a significant departure from the customary pattern of releasing two to four theatrical films a year.
Although the slate of forthcoming Marvel films is rather large and only anticipated to grow as more Phase 6 announcements come up. Still, 2024 marks a turning point for the MCU that will help the franchise move from the controversial stretch following Avengers: Endgame to a clearer creative plan. More than any other month in the year, July 2024 exposed this agenda for everyone to view.
Marvel's Formula lately turned toward familiar brands.
As hinted at, the MCU suffered a challenging run between 2021 and 2023. While some films in this era were clearly successful - like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - the MCU failed to recapture the consistent box office dominance it displayed between 2013 and 2019. Black Widow, Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Marvels were among the less-liked films that demonstrated how poorly the MCU was motivating flocks of viewers back to theaters.
With under $206 million globally, The Marvels became the lowest-grossing film in MCU history. Bob Iger described his strategy to reinterpret the MCU's future at the beginning of 2024 following this series of underwhelming box office receipts. This followed the Disney CEO recovering his title in late 2022 and starting to try to recapturing the success of all Disney's franchises from the MCU and Star Wars to Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Where Marvel Studios is concerned, Iger intended to turn the MCU's emphasis back toward greater franchises on both the TV and theater sides of things.
July 2024 Suggested That Familiarity Would Shape Marvel's Future
July 2024 confirmed that the MCU's future is in familiarity as Marvel's aim of returning to stronger franchises is under clear sight. Two significant events occurred in July 2024, one day apart: Marvel Studios hosted a Hall H panel detailing the future of the series while Deadpool & Wolverine was released globally. With $444 million in worldwide markets on its opening weekend, the former became an instant movie office blockbuster. Since Spider-Man: No Way Home, the MCU has not had a huge hit like this; even then, Sony Pictures received the earnings.
Discounting Sony's two Spider-Men, Deadpool & Wolverine is on target to be Marvel Studios' first $1 billion success since Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Regarding the reason this movie did so well, it has to do with Marvel's intention to exploit stronger brands and characters. Familiarity turned out to be a major factor influencing Deadpool & Wolverine's climatic climax. The supporting cast consisted of heroes like Jennifer Garner's Elektra, Wesley Snipes' Blade, Channing Tatum's Gambit, Dafne Keen's X-23, and even Chris Evans' Johnny Storm; the titular heroes are leftovers of older series in superhero cinema from before Endgame.
Marvel obviously leaned on known faces to narrate Deadpool & Wolverine's story, not on more recent, unseen figures from throughout the Marvel multiverse. Marvel is depending on stronger brands driven by nostalgia to bring the MCU to future success, hence this familiarity is handled nicely but it does not change this truth. Marvel's movie unveils at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024 also show this. Kevin Feige and co. were seen on the panel pushing forthcoming films and making some significant announcements—all of which relate to Marvel's stronger franchises and well-known characters, actors, and directors.
Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps comprised the three films concentrated on the Hall H panel. One of the most well-liked MCU characters, Captain America is also included in the best-received MCU films on critical review. Anthony Mackie leads the movie, which features MCU characters from The Incredible Hulk returning like as The Leader and Thunderbolt Ross. Similar in nature is Thunderbolts, which centers on the titular team—led by two fan favorites in Florence Pugh's Yelena Belove and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes—that comprises pre-existing MCU characters.
At last, Marvel's First Family and among the most watched teams in the franchise's history is The Fantastic Four. Although all four of the characters are fresh to the MCU, Reed Richards's cameo in Doctor Strange 2 and Johnny Storm in Deadpool 3 notwithstanding, are portrayed by quite well-liked actors. At last, the shocking revelation at SDCC 2024 was that Robert Downey Jr. will portray Doctor Doom in both films and the Russo Brothers will be directing Avengers 5 and 6. Above all, the familiarity of the Russos and RDJ points where Marvel's future resides.
Is a good thing Disney's MCU over overhaul is?
Marvel clearly is turning toward Movies, characters, actors, and directors connected with the most successful time of the studio, therefore raising the issue of whether this is a positive direction. Movies like Deadpool and Wolverine as well as Spider-Man: No Way Home have shown that familiarity and nostalgia translate into popularity. Still, it is largely dependent on how one manages nostalgia. Mostly, Deadpool & Wolverine and Spider-Man: No Way Home managed it well; every appearance, supporting actor, and recurrent narrative point had a purpose for enhancing the narrative being delivered.
Unquestionably, Marvel's future plans will be beneficial if it carries on in this direction. It's still to be seen how successfully RDJ's portrayal of Doctor Doom does as well as how strongly toward nostalgia the two next Avengers films lean. Hopefully, the mistakes of the past have not driven Marvel to make these choices out of desperation; rather, they have been a more mutually beneficial action for the company, the viewers, the tales, the directors engaged in. Though Marvel's 2021–2023 cycle proved unworkable, ideally a marriage of both familiar and novel, thrilling ideas would be optimal.
One last hope for Marvel's smaller franchises.
Regarding Marvel's lesser properties, they have one last hope that might either confirm their future or condemn them for certain. Disney will host D23, the largest fan event for everything under the House of Mouse's expansive purview, the weekend of August 9–11 2024. While D23 will probably see the studio disclose more Phase 6 projects, SDCC gave Marvel Studios the chance to concentrate on specific films. This will prove to be essential for Marvel's future; D23 will establish whether any lesser MCU properties are likely to last.
From a continuation of the less-received TV shows or Movies like Eternals to a last chance for Marvel to greenlight minor brand ventures, D23 will most certainly be There will surely be announcements given just four films are scheduled for Phase 6. Though they will either indicate that July 2024 has changed the MCU to center on familiarity or give one final hope for franchises that would have otherwise been judged unworthy of a home in the multiverse, what exactly those announcements will be is unknown as yet.
