A lot of studios are recovering from an interesting year that includes small theatrical windows and audience fatigue.
2023 is a real shake-up to entertainment, especially with the late-breaking news of SAG’s voting of a strike. However, audiences are also voting with their wallets and their time, and a message is definitely seen. One of the latest reports is that the latest offering from Marvel on Disney+, Secret Invasion, starring Samuel L. Jackson, scored some of the lowest ratings for an MCU show. According to SlashFilm, “the viewership for the Secret Invasion premiere during its first five days of release (June 21-25) was 994 thousand. This is the second worst showing for an MCU show on Disney+, ahead of only Ms.Marvel at 775 thousand.” This is reported from the findings of SambaTV, a tech firm that measures TV viewership. In comparison, the series Loki would reportedly score 2.5 million in its first five days of release.
For a high-profile adaptation of a popular Marvel story that stars the likes of Jackson, Emilia Clarke, and Don Cheadle, it’s an interesting reaction of note. Due to the recent slew of underwhelming performances, Bob Iger, the Disney CEO who had returned after Bob Chapek was relieved of command, has decided to pull back on Marvel and Star Wars-related projects in an effort to cut costs, according to CNBC. “You pull back not just to focus, but also as part of our cost containment initiative. Spending less on what we make, and making less,” Iger explained.
Iger continued, “Marvel is a great example of that. It had not been in the television business at any significant level, and not only did they increase their movie output, but they ended up making a number of TV series. Frankly, it diluted focus and attention.” Marvel took years to build up their brand, but after the massive success of the first culmination of phase one with The Avengersnot only would the studio be a force to be reckoned with, but it had Hollywood chasing that sweet shared universe money.
CNBC also reported that earlier this year, “Iger had said the company needed to assess how many sequels each character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe should spur, and it was time to explore ‘newness’ for the brand. He added there was ‘nothing in any way inherently off in terms of the Marvel brand’ at an investor conference.”