Summary
MarvelStudioswon’t make sequels to 3 MCU franchises anytime soon due to Disney’s cost-cutting measures.
Marvel Studiosis reportedly making huge changes in its line-up of superhero movies. Previousreports claimed thatEternalsis getting a sequeland it’s already in development. Meanwhile, there are rumors that Ant-Man and Captain Marvel are returning for another installment despite both films not getting a green light yet. However, Marvel Studios has remained mum aboutEternals 2and Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger recently confirmed that they would reduce the Marvel output and focus on its stronger franchises.
According toDaniel Richtman, the anticipatedEternals,Ant-Man,andCaptain Marvelsequels are no longer coming to the big screens.Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feigereportedly wanted to produce anEternalssequel, but Iger allegedly does not, believing it’s a guaranteed box office flop. Consequently, projects likeAnt-Man 4andCaptain Marvel 3are not happening, as Disney wants to avoid risks and focus on likely hits.
Marvel Studios Phase 5 is expected to feature plenty of sequels, but it’s also not a secret that the recent movies fell short at the box office. For instance,The Marvelsunderperformed at the box officeand only made $206 million worldwide. The sequel titledThe Marvelshada production budget of $274.8 million and the worst opening weekend in the MCU history. It also broke records for being the lowest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Marvel Studios losing money on the sequel, it is understandable that the company will not bet on anotherCaptain Marvelmovie.Ant-Man 3also didn’t perform well at the box office. Its numbers were better than theShazam! Fury of the Gods, but the film failed to surpass its predecessors' success, which was also not a good sign for Marvel Studios to push through with the franchise. Thus,Ant-Man 4is unlikely to see the light of day.
Eternals, which featured new faces of superheroes, including Thena (Angelina Jolie), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Black Knight (Kit Harrington), Ajak (Salma Hayek), Gilgamesh (Ma Dong-seok), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) and Eros (Styles), to name a few, was Marvel Studios' biggest outing sinceThe Avengers. There were massive expectations from the game-changer movie, and it did well at the box office. However,Eternalswasn’t well receivedand was one of the worst-reviewed MCU movies.
Eternalsbecame a subject of numerous controversies for several reasons. First, it featured the first openly gay main character, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), causing the film to be banned in several Middle Eastern countries, including Kuwait and Oman. Second, it raised eyebrows due to a sex scene between Ikaris and Sersi. Marvel Studios' audience includes kids; the sensitive scene is a no-no for younger viewers. There were also concerns about the casting. Considering all these facts and Marvel Studios' decision to play safe and only bet on guaranteed hits, it’s understandable if the studio will not releaseEternals 2.
Marvel Studiosfilms are available on Disney Plus.
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
