If it's up to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, the new MCU movies will not be making their debut on the Disney+ streaming service anytime soon. The mega-producer is very committed to the theatrical experience and that is where he believes the films should make their entrance.
Feige has begun making the promotional rounds for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which debuts on Disney+ later this month. Along with WandaVision and other upcoming TV shows that will premiere on the platform, they will give the MCU a major presence on the streaming service and be connected in some way to the theatrical releases. Even though Feige is 100 percent behind the TV world and the film world working together, he made it clear that the big-screen experience of seeing the projects intended for movie theaters is what made them successful and he plans on continuing to champion that theatrical experience.
"It's impossible [not to be, when you] go to opening night to 23 movies, in packed movie houses, and seeing the moviegoers' reaction. That's what drives us creatively as we make all of these, certainly culminating in 'Avengers: Endgame' and 'Far From Home.' There's nothing better than that, and we don't want to lose it. I'm hoping we don't have to. If there is nowhere else to put those movies, that's another conversation, but I'm encouraged by the theaters holding on. Also, what's happening overseas in countries where [the pandemic] is more under control. Guess what? It's human nature to want to get together and have an experience. That's continuing in very big ways in countries where they are able."
I honestly couldn't imagine seeing Avengers: Endgame for the first time at home. A lot of the reason that experience was so great was that it was this collective reaction in a packed movie theater on opening night that just can't be recreated at home. I'm all for the theatrical experience and also think that certain projects can play well at home. I want to live in an entertainment field that offers both options and he's doing that with Marvel via TV shows and films.
The last year has been brutal for movie theaters and it seemed pretty dire there for a bit but it seems like they're going to see a bit of a resurgence once we enter the summer. Some movie theaters have already been open at limited capacity while New York City, a huge box office market, reopened its doors to limited capacity on March 5. Another big market, Los Angeles, is rumored to see their theaters reopen at limited capacity between now and March 19. There is some light at the end of the tunnel for some of these tentpole releases that they don't have to give up on their theatrical debuts.
The overseas markets are also starting to see a big turnaround at the box office. China is seeing record-breaking box office numbers and international markets such as this is where a lot of these big films thrive. I know we've been waiting for Marvel's Black Widow to abandon its May 7, 2021, release date but Disney CEO Bob Chapek doubled down on the notion that the film was staying put as a theatrical debut on that date. As a studio, they must really feel like the theatrical experience can still be viable as we head towards a sense of normalcy in the wake of the pandemic.
Do YOU agree with Kevin Feige's desire to debut new MCU films in movie theaters rather than via streaming?