Just when we had gotten used to having Spider-Man home with his fellow heroes and saving the world in the MCU… he’s gone as quick as a Thanos snap.
Reported by Deadline, the Disney-Sony standoff ends as Marvel president Kevin Feige will no longer any further Spider-Man films due to the studios’ inability to reach new terms. Just like that, Spider-Man and his Rogues Gallery finds himself back with Sony Pictures.
This news comes on the heels of the last two Kevin Feige-produced films have reached box office success: Disney’s Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time, and Spider-Man: Far From Home became the all-time highest-grossing film for Sony Pictures.
From what I’ve read, Tom Holland and director Jon Watts were scheduled to return in the next Spider-Man film, which shouldn’t change. Unless a miracle occurs, Kevin Feige will not be the lead producer of that film and it will be separate from the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So the direction or story of that third film could change dramatically.
When this sharing deal happened, I had a feeling money would play a factor when they returned to the negotiating table. Disney asked for a 50/50 co-financing agreement, which Sony turned down. I know there might be other factors that come into play and Disney didn’t want to keep the current deal in place, where Marvel receives in the range of 5% of first dollar gross.
My Two Cents:
I feel that Sony didn’t want to share their biggest franchise. We all know that movie studios want to make money. Feige and Marvel Studios have proven to be a money-making factory over the past decade, a resume of historic consistency that has not been seen in Hollywood. Disney makes a quality product that will pay off in the long term. Meanwhile, Sony has floundered, buoyed mostly by the Spider-Man movie franchise, earning short-term dollars from other films that don’t last long in theaters or go over well with fans (here’s looking at you, Men in Black: International).
A 50/50 split isn’t unreasonable to me. There were also talks about including more involvement of Spider-Man’s universe. However, I understand why Sony wouldn’t quickly take the deal. Considering Disney’s acquisition of Fox, the X-Men Universe, the Fantastic Four and Marvel still owning the merchandising on Spider-Man, does the Mouse House really need half of that unique wall-crawling world (even though it makes fans’ salivate at the thought)?
In the end, the people that this decision mainly effects are the fans. The launch of this newest iteration of Spider-Man was done brilliantly with Marvel’s support and help and helped fans fall in love with this character again. Tom Holland’s character was introduced in the Russo Brothers-directed 2016 blockbuster Captain America: Civil War. Sony’s first rebooted Spidey film in the MCU, Spider-Man: Homecoming, rode the Marvel momentum wave to gross $880 million worldwide. Spider-Man has been an integral character in the last two Avengers films, leading to the Spidey solo sequel, Far From Home, which became Sony’s top grossing movie. Ever.
Fans love Tom Holland and his energy, finding his niche in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and fitting in comfortably with the superhero community. The creative template for Spider-Man has been set and Holland remains in place so they have pieces to work with. Sony also has the upcoming Venom sequel, Morbius with Jared Leto, and other spin-offs of Spider characters coming like Black Cat and Silver Sable. And we can’t forget the Best Animated Movie Oscar from last year’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Sony has plenty of material to use. But we’ll see if they can pull off a major win without the help of Michael Jordan; I mean, Kevin Feige and Disney.
Thanks for reading, everyone!
What are your thoughts about the Disney/Marvel – Sony Studios deal ending?
How do you think Spider-Man will do if he’s out of the MCU?
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