Marvel Studios co-president admits 2023 was a “rough time” but they’re “coming back strong”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was on the top of its game for so long that it seemed as though it always would be, but following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, the franchise has stumbled and even released a couple of box-office bombs. Louis D’Esposito, co-president of Marvel Studios, is well aware that the franchise has been struggling, particularly in 2023, as he told Empire, “It’s been a rough time.“

Thankfully, the MCU will be taking a breather as Deadpool & Wolverine will be the only Marvel movie in theaters this year, and D’Esposito believes it will help get them back on track. “If we just stayed on top, that would have been the worst thing that could have happened to us,” he said. “We took a little hit, we’re coming back strong.” We should also see fewer MCU movies and TV shows moving forward. “Maybe when you do too much, you dilute yourself a little bit,” D’Esposito said. “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.” This echoes what Disney CEO Bob Iger said this morning about scaling back the amount of Marvel projects per year.

Marvel’s Kevin Feige is also choosing to look on the bright side, saying he’s “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.” Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy didn’t mince words, adding, “You’d have to live under a rock not to know that the last few Marvel movies have failed to ignite the world in the way that so many did,” he said. “We do come along at an interesting time. And we are decidedly something different.“

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania got 2023 off on the wrong foot with mixed reviews and a disappointing box-office take of $476 million worldwide, which made it one of the few MCU movies not to break even in theaters. Then came The Marvels, which also received mixed reviews and was a certified box-office bomb, grossing just $206 million, making it the lowest-grossing movie in the entire franchise.

Deadpool & Wolverine will hit theaters on July 26th. Will it help put the MCU back on track?