Marvel Studios Co-President Louis D’Esposito and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige are addressing the rough patch the studio has been through over the last few years.
“If we just stayed on top, that would have been the worst thing that could have happened to us,” D’Esposito said in an interview with Empire. “We took a little hit, we’re coming back strong.”
He continued, “Maybe when you do too much, you dilute yourself a little bit. We’re not going to do that anymore. We learned our lesson. Maybe two to three films a year and one or two shows, as opposed to doing four films and four shows.”
D’Esposito is talking about “superhero fatigue,” which Disney CEO Bob Iger acknowledged in today’s earnings call. The plan going forward with Marvel Studios is to release “two good films” a year, possibly three, and cut the number of TV series spinoffs.
Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is the only Marvel film being released this year, which is something Feige welcomes.
“It’s nice to be able to rally behind one feature project this year,” Feige told the publication. “I’m much more comfortable being the underdog. I prefer being able to surprise, and exceed expectations. So it does seem like the last year, which has not been ideal, has set us up well for that.”
Marvel Studios plans on releasing four films in 2025: Captain America: Brave New World (Feb. 14), Thunderbolts (May 2), Fantastic Four (July 25) and Blade (Nov. 7).