Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ seems to make Disney + even more powerful

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Sure, Disney + has a wealth of well-loved content from its brands, including Disney Animation and Pixar, as well as one of the biggest blockbuster series streaming with “The Mandalorian” from Star Wars. Still, Disney + hasn’t really had the deepest bank for new and exclusive content since its launch in 2019.

That changes this weekend with the arrival of “WandaVision” – a series that could make the mighty Disney + even more powerful.

“There are millions of Disney + subscribers who spend $ 50 to $ 80 a year for just eight weeks of ‘The Mandalorian.’ If Disney can get the Marvel series slate right, those customers should be willing to do a lot more in the years to come. to pay for Disney +, ”Matthew Ball, a former Amazon (AMZN) Studio executive, told CNN Business.
“Marvel Studios is the most successful entertainment franchise in history,” said Ball. “It would take even Cicero an hour to praise the achievements and popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
Case in point: Marvel has brought in more than $ 22.6 billion worldwide since 2008 Comscore (SCORE). That includes the biggest blockbuster of all time, 2019’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’, which made more than $ 2.7 billion. In a rapidly evolving Hollywood, a constant over the past decade is that viewers love Marvel.
'WandaVision' flexes a number of different muscles while Marvel adds its power to Disney +
“WandaVision” – which follows the exploits of superheroes Scarlet Witch and Vision while seemingly enjoying suburban life – may also receive more attention as it arrives as several Marvel films, along with most of the feature films, are due to the pandemic suspended. Disney hopes the ardent love for the brand translates from box office success to small screen subscriptions.

Ball is optimistic it will. “With more than 50 hours of connected stories, the MCU is already a series,” he said. Even if there was any reason to doubt the MCU’s ability to operate as a serialized video-on-demand series with subscriptions, [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige has proven skeptics wrong for 13 years. “

Marvel superheroes have already shown that they can find an audience on streaming. Characters like Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage all had their own hit songs Netflix (NFLX) series before Marvel Television was shut down in 2019 and collapsed at Marvel Studios.
While “WandaVision” is the first Disney + series from Marvel Studios, it won’t be the last. Disney (DIS) plans to release ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’, ‘She-Hulk’ and ‘Hawkeye’ among a whole host of others.

Zak Shaikh, vice president of entertainment at media company Magid, believes the arrival of “WandaVision” will ultimately “deliver on the promise of a Disney + subscription”.

“With feature films going through a particularly rough time, it helps the overall Disney + proposition to get Marvel to generate content on their side of the platform,” he told CNN Business. “A series also helps build the world, because there is more time to explore different facets of the Marvel Universe than the two hours of a movie.”

But with more Marvel series heading to Disney + and new movies like “Black Widow” and “Eternals” hitting theaters this year, will the blockbuster brand water down?

Not likely, according to Ball.

“Saturation and overly complex storytelling are always a risk, but so far more content has helped the MCU become a better, more popular and well-loved franchise,” he said. “With success, its TV series – especially those that allow it to further diversify its characters and stories – should do the same.”

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