Marvel has released nine live-action shows on Disney+, including Echo which was released under the Marvel Spotlight banner. Out of these nine, only Loki received a second season, which received a positive response from the audience. Apart from that, opinions on most MCU shows were widely divided, with a few falling short of expectations. However, the insane budget for these projects may lead fans to question the budgetary decisions of the nearly $29 billion franchise.
Some of the costliest shows turned out to be among the worst, whereas the cheapest one, Echo, received favorable reviews. The budget of these shows totaled nearly $1.6 billion, which is a staggering amount for the less-than-impressive TV projects.
Echo ($40 Million)
Marvel’s first MA-rated series, Echo, was released under the Marvel Spotlight banner. According to Forbes, the Alaqua Cox-starrer had a production budget of $40 million, becoming the cheapest live-action MCU series. It was less than 20 percent of the budget of the costliest MCU show. Interestingly, this budget aligns with that of the Netflix-Marvel series Daredevil, which cost $42-56 million to make its first season.
Loki Season 2 ($141.3 Million)
According to Forbes, Disney revealed that the pre-production and filming budget for the second season of Loki was $141.3 million. Loki‘s second season came long after the success of the first season. The budget is expected to be lower than Loki Season 1 due to the string of critically failed projects that came after it.
Moon Knight ($142.8 Million)
Moon Knight was produced by a subsidiary of Disney, formed for the purpose of this production. Named after Marc Spector’s company in Marvel Comics, Spectorcorp Productions based out of London reported the production cost as $147.9 million (via Forbes). The average per-episode cost amounted to $24.7 million. However, the series was eligible for tax reimbursement under U.K. law, receiving $5.1 million back. This brought the net spending cost down to $142.8 million.
Loki Season 1 ($150 Million)
According to ScreenRant, most of the Disney+ shows, including Loki, were produced on a budget of $25 million per episode. The visuals of the first season of Loki received praise from critics as well as audiences. Fans also agreed that the budget for the series was justified as it involved a great script and some neatly placed CGI work.
Hawkeye ($150 Million)
Hawkeye was a decent action thriller with mostly practical action sequences, which raised eyebrows about the high budget. The Christmas-themed series was also allotted a budget of $25 million per episode.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ($150 Million)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was too grounded to have such a high budget, despite being a decent watch. It almost raises the question as to where the $25 million was spent on each episode.
Ms. Marvel ($150 Million)
Ms. Marvel‘s $25 million per episode budget could have been justified if not for the poorly conceived storyline and the shoddy execution. Though, Iman Vellani‘s presence makes it a fun series to watch.
Secret Invasion ($211.6 Million)
Samuel L. Jackson‘s six-part series cost more than most of the big-budget theatrical releases in 2023. Forbes estimated the budget of the series as $211.6 million, with the site calling it “a costly gamble”. While the inclusion of Oscar-winner Olivia Colman and Game of Thrones fame Emilia Clarke increased the anticipation (and probably the budget), Secret Invasion was a critical disaster.
WandaVision ($225 Million)
WandaVision was among the Disney+ shows that received a $25 million production budget for each episode (via ScreenRant). The show seemed to have clearly used the budget optimally, as it received high praise for its execution. However, the nine-episode run of the series contributed to it becoming one of the most expensive Disney+ shows.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law ($225 Million)
Variety reported that Marvel bled money on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, with its attempt at a full-on comedy series. It cost $25 million per episode, which was reportedly more than the budget of the Game of Thrones finale episode. The series had a nine-episode run, which totaled the budget to $225 million, the highest among the Marvel shows.
Marvel Fans Bash The Expensive Budget Of She-Hulk And Secret Invasion
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Secret Invasion clearly struggled to justify their egregious budget and Marvel fans on X criticized this aspect. One fan commented that these single-season series were overpriced when compared to other shows. Apart from the poorly conceived script for both shows, fans commented that She-Hulk failed to impress with its visual effects, while the amount of effects in Secret Invasion didn’t justify the budget. Fan reactions read:
Overpriced for just single series by She-Hulk and Secret Invasion 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
— ヘル🍉 (@herunulhakim) January 31, 2024
Secret Invasion and She-Hulk seem the biggest budget waste. The others atleast have justified budgets, although Hawkeye could use costs under 100M.
— Ryan Paul (@MegaTook) January 30, 2024
To be fair this isn't much different from their movies, and they're longer. But She-Hulk and Secret Invasion especially are kinda egregious when they turned out to be arguably their 2 worst projects
— Bio21 (@LeBio21) January 30, 2024
Where did they spend 225m on she hulk? It certainly didn't go on effects or writers
— Andrew Dallin (@adallin) January 30, 2024
I agree wv had cgi and vfx scenes..vision was entirely cgi made…
But why hulk…even she hulk was not that muscular like hulk …— Amar | Poké – Theory 8️⃣ (@amartyesh) January 30, 2024
It makes no sense that Loki cost the same as ms marvel.
It makes no sense that Loki cost less than secret invasion.
It makes no sense period😩😩😩— MüQtada (@Qutadamuq) January 30, 2024
The considerably low budget of Echo hints at a new direction for Marvel. This shift is also evident in Marvel’s approach to its upcoming shows. Marvel overhauled Daredevil: Born Again even after the series had already started production. Other planned series are also taking a backseat as the studio re-evaluates its strategies for streaming content.
