Marvel has been struggling to come up with good projects after the conclusion of the super-successful Infinity Saga. While the studio hit a low point with the highly anticipated Eternals, the movie that had the most severe impact on Marvel was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film that kickstarted the MCU Phase 5, failed to impress both Marvel fans and general audiences. Surprisingly, during the production of the film, the studio execs had a completely different set of expectations.
The higher-ups at the studio believed that they had created a film that would take the theaters by storm. The film’s failure to break even at the box office was a blow to these expectations, prompting the studio to reevaluate its approach.
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Quantumania Shocked Marvel After The Studio Thought They Had A Great Film
Writing had been one of the major issues for Marvel post Avengers: Endgame. While Eternals, starring Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, was visually stunning, the film underperformed at the box office due to a weak screenplay. In the $476 million-grossing film, the performances of Paul Rudd and the rest of the cast were notable, but a poorly conceived and executed plot, coupled with substandard VFX, contributed to the film’s failure.
However, Marvel execs believed that they had done everything right with Quantamania and expected it to break some records at the theater. Recently, the author of MCU: The Reign of Marvel, Joanna Robinson, shed some light on what happened behind the scenes of the film. During an interview on The Watch podcast, Robinson detailed the general consensus about the movie among execs prior to its release. Robinson told The Watch:
“[Marvel Studios] is aware of what’s happening to their brand. My understanding, having talked to some people, is that ‘Quantumania’ really shook them, and I’m sure ‘Secret Invasion’ shook them further, but ‘Quantumania’ really shook them because they felt like they had something good. Because they all internally thought, ‘Everyone’s gonna love this.’ And then they put it out and people didn’t.”
Robinson’s statement raises questions about every upcoming Marvel project. The success of MCU projects was built on delivering what fans and audiences wanted. After Quantumania, Robinson recalled that the studio was like, “Oh no, our internal barometer is not attuned to what people want anymore.” The same issue was encountered with their latest project, Secret Invasion.
Can Marvel Make A Comeback From This Debacle?
The anticipation for MCU projects is waning as the studio struggles to maintain the quality of its output. The sheer volume of content may be contributing to the problem, with the studio releasing 20 projects post-Endgame. There have also been controversies regarding the poor working conditions of their VFX employees who struggled to keep up with the release dates.
Unless there’s a fundamental shift in their internal planning, subpar theatrical releases like Quantumania, Eternals, and Thor: Love and Thunder may continue. The television series, introduced in Phase 4, also suffers in quality, as seen in the critically panned projects, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Secret Invasion.
The recent episodes of Loki Season 2 came as a saving grace for Marvel. The studio has mapped out a two-part finale for the Multiverse Saga, just like they did for the Infinity Saga. If Marvel doesn’t manage to recreate the monumental success of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame for these upcoming films, the future of the MCU may be in jeopardy.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now available for streaming on Disney+.
