Disney+ has seen a lot of success with its Marvel special presentations like the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special. This has led fans to wonder if Disney+ should start making direct-to-streaming MCU films. One MCU producer hints that Marvel does not have plans for streaming only movies.
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek previously stated that "theatrical is a proven way to" build franchises in the MCU. Marvel’s Nate Moore echoes this sentiment in a new interview.
Moore recently sat down with Deadline to discuss the success of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The producer answered a resounding "no" when asked about the possibility of direct-to-streaming MCU films.
"No, I mean… and Kevin [Feige], we all are, we’re huge fans of the theatrical experience," Moore said. "And one of the benefits of us being able to do Disney+ series frankly, is that they can co-exist. The series can be on your service and the movies can be in theaters."
He adds, "And that’s something we would like to preserve for as long as we can. And Disney’s been supportive, which is great."
Kevin Feige also has a similar take on the topic. The Marvel boss revealed to IGN that the Marvel Studios has the theatrical audience in mind and the studio promises on delivering an experience.
"Every time we make a film, it is with the expectation of delivering on a promise of an experience, to be experienced together in a theater," Feige said. "And seeing where people laugh or seeing where people get very quiet and still, or where people cheer if we should be so lucky, in moments in the movie."
Marvel’s decision to just focus on TV series and specials should be the right play given that the audiences are already returning to the theaters. Streaming cannot replicate the experience of watching a movie on the big screen.
Spider-Man: No Way Home has proven that it also makes more commercial sense for Marvel to keep its movies in theaters. The most recent Spider-Man movie earned a massive $1.9 billion in ticket sales from its theatrical run. The upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will have a bigger impact on fans watching it in theaters than waiting for it to debut on Disney+.
Feige did acknowledge the importance of streaming services to the greater MCU. Several Marvel TV series served as a setup for MCU films.
"Streaming is 100 percent the future and where consumers want to watch things," Feige said. "And hopefully they’ll want to watch our longform narrative series. An experience like WandaVision is something you can’t get in a movie."
Feige adds, "You go to movies for things you can’t get on streaming, and you go to streaming for things you can’t get in a theater. And of course, everything in a theater goes to streaming eventually."
The MCU will officially welcome Phase 5 of the Multiverse Saga when Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania premieres on February 17.
