Summary

Marvel Studios is reportedly looking to avoid risks by focusing on proven hits at the box office moving forward, potentially putting sequels on hold.

Eternals, The Marvels
, &
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
struggled financially, leading Marvel to reevaluate its strategy.
Despite Marvel’s shift towards safer bets, sequels to certain successful films like
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
are still moving forward.

If you were looking forward to sequels to Eternals, Captain Marvel, or Ant-Man, you might be disappointed if recent reports turn out to be true. It has been suggested that Marvel Studios is looking to take fewer risks, which means banking on guaranteed hits.

Eternals Release Date November 5, 2021 Runtime 2hr 36min Writers Matthew K. Firpo , Ryan Firpo , Jack Kirby Format Theatrical Studio Marvel Studios Tagline In the beginning… Franchise Marvel

Per insider Daniel Richtman, via CBR, Marvel Studios will focus primarily on IP that is likely to be a proven hit at the box office rather than risking diving into lesser-known characters and properties moving forward. A big example of this would be Eternals 2, which was expected to answer the cliffhanger ending of the 2021 movie and was rumored to be in development. According to the same report, Disney CEO Bob Iger believes that the film will flop at the box office. Despite his objections, Marvel boss Kevin Feige would like to see the sequel come to fruition, which could be why it’s being stated that it’s on hold rather than totally dead.

The same goes for the sequels to Ant-Man and Captain Marvel following the box office performance of their last installments. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania grossed $476.1 million globally, but given its $275 million budget, it was one of the few MCU titles to not break even at the box office. The Marvels fared even worse, grossing $206 million worldwide on a $275 million budget, making it the lowest-grossing film in the MCU to date.

Eternals, The Marvels, & Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Missed the Mark

Eternals did not fare as badly as the aforementioned Marvel titles, but its less-than-desirable reviews (47 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) were a sign that Phase Four would not be without its hiccups. Despite a stellar ensemble cast that included Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, and Barry Keoghan, a director fresh off of an Oscar win (Chloé Zhao), the film received a polarizing response from fans as well. By the end of its box office run, the film grossed $402.1 million worldwide on a $236 million budget. Working in the film’s favor is the fact that it has received more positive appraisals since its theatrical release with fans wanting the MCU to make good on some of the film’s unresolved plot lines, including the next phase of Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman and making good on the mid-credits scene featuring Harry Styles as Eros/Starfox, the brother of Thanos.

The talk of Marvel not taking risks stands in stark contrast to how they started. Taking a shot on 2008’s Iron Man, a comic book hero not that well-known by mainstream audiences, was a big risk that paid off, and then turning that into a shared universe, the likes of which had never been seen before, was an even bigger one. The X-Men and Fantastic Four were still housed at 20th Century Fox at the time and Spider-Man was exclusively at Sony Pictures, so Marvel had to rely on lesser-known heroes to shape their brand, which ultimately worked out considerably in their favor.

Related MCU’s Biggest Box Office Disaster Finds Redemption in Most Streamed Movie Chart The Marvels remained grounded at the box office, but soared higher, further, faster on its Disney+ debut.

With Marvel taking fewer risks, it means that certain announced sequels are likely to still move forward. A sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is on deck with Simu Liu returning and Destin Daniel Cretton once again taking his place behind the camera. The first film battled the effects of COVID-19 and still came out on top, grossing $432 million worldwide on a reported $200 million budget. Other standalone Marvel titles that still could see sequels, under the new Marvel way of thinking, could also include follow-ups to Doctor Strange and Thor.

This year’s only theatrical Marvel Studios release is
Deadpool & Wolverine
, which will arrive in cinemas on July 26, 2024.