The MCU and Star Wars are recalibrating their theatrical plans, and it makes one surprising fact clear: Disney is listening to its fans.
Disney’s two biggest heavy hitters are at something of a crossroads. The Star Wars franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are, in many ways, as close to in trouble as they’ve ever been. There’s been no Star Wars movie in years, and there are none set to arrive in the immediate future. The MCU’s Phase Four is the first to exhibit some real signs of fatigue on the part of its fans and elicit the critical equivalent of a shrug across the board. But all is not lost. Two recent reports indicate that Disney may be listening to its fans’ concerns moving forward, and that’s a good thing.
Reports from Puck News and The Cosmic Circus, respectively, detail how Lucasfilm is terrified of a misstep with future Star Wars theatrical releases and that Marvel could be refocusing on “quality over quantity” as a model with Phase Five and beyond. While signs of hyper-caution and reshuffling are often red flags when it comes to movie studios, in this case, it’s the best possible course of direction.
Why Is Star Wars Being Recalibrated?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Solo: A Star Wars Story both represented major wasted opportunities and failures. Rise of Skywalker was greeted with disappointment by a majority of fans and critics. Solo was more well-liked but ended as something of a financial flop. For a cash cow legacy franchise like Star Wars, neither result is tenable. The television segmentation of Star Wars has held strong and provided more success on both fronts in recent years, but Star Wars is, first and foremost, a cinematic franchise. And when it does return to theaters, it must be an unquestionable home run. The abundance of caution and the numerous announced projects involving generally reliable creative talent are indicative of the fact that Disney and Lucasfilm are determined to do things right this time around.
Why Is the MCU Being Recalibrated?
For the first time since its initial foray into universe-building, the MCU is beginning to show cracks. Audiences and critics alike have expressed more fatigue and dismay over Phase Four than any preceding one, noting the messy, overcomplicated storytelling and a lack of directional cohesion. With the multiverse serving as a focal point in the MCU moving forward, the learning curve for entry is bound to get increasingly steep. The sheer amount of characters and lore have begun to cannibalize themselves slightly. Combine the theatrical releases with an intensive television slate, and the MCU has become an overwhelming mass of story to sift through. More importantly, quality control has suffered. For every WandaVision, there’s an Eternals. Tightening the screws and offering less content overall means a laser-focused commitment to quality and (somewhat counterintuitively) demand for more.
What Does the Future Look Like for Star Wars and the MCU?
The MCU is full-steam ahead on Phase Five, which already looks to have a more singular vision than Phase Four. The theatrical future for Star Wars, though, is still something of a mystery. A plethora of projects have been announced, but there’s no obvious momentum behind a specific project than any other. But Andor‘s success is a promising sign. The streaming programming is sustaining fans and has been mostly well-received. But the Star Wars franchise belongs on the big screen, and a direction must be chosen.
The track record of both properties is a source of hope for the future. Audiences can say what they will about the homogeneity of the MCU or the blatant nostalgia-baiting of recent Star Wars output, but the fact that they haven’t been more outright disastrous is a small cinematic miracle. There’s no definitive answer to what the future of the MCU and Star Wars franchise look like down the line. But, for the first time in some time, Disney seems willing and prepared to listen to its fans, and that is a tentatively good sign.
