Marvel Cinematic Universe general stuff

pixelburp · 16-03-2023 8:31pm

Hmmm, wonder if Ant Man: Quality Street has stalled out? Domestic of $200 million, worldwide sitting around 450.

Looking at the domestic rankings it's sitting between two CoVid flicks, which ain't great; still more than the first AntMan mind you.

But again, you gotta wonder how many people now are simply waiting for Disney+.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr541495045/?ref_=bo_frs_table_1

Loughc · 16-03-2023 9:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120367451#Comment_120367451

It’s a poor return seeing it’s meant to be the start of the kang arc and the hype going into it was big.

Loughc · 18-03-2023 11:31pm

https://bgr.com/entertainment/avengers-secret-wars-might-be-the-end-of-marvels-mcu-as-we-know-it/

I called it a few posts back, the MCU as we know it is rapidly dying

Brief_Lives · 19-03-2023 11:06am

i don't think it is dying... there is a 100 years of stories..

the MCU needs better scipts and less CGI...

Loughc · 19-03-2023 12:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120375228#Comment_120375228

MCU in general won’t die but the phased approach will. after phase 6 it will be a different animal. More one off movies and less releases.

Sudden Valley · 19-03-2023 12:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120375361#Comment_120375361

I think even less punters would go to films like Antman if they were one offs and not part of extended storyline. MCU will continue even if profits are lower until they have a few bombs in a row.

TherapyBoy · 19-03-2023 12:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120374669#Comment_120374669

There’s nothing unexpected in that whole article. Few delays & blah blah blah..

horse7 · 19-03-2023 12:40pm

Marlowe, got to be one of the worst neil jordan movies, such a shame for liam neeson too as its like his dying song.

pjohnson · 19-03-2023 1:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120375361#Comment_120375361

Nah the overall phased style wont change, but they'll inevitably have to focus on mutants as the current roster they've been using has been bled completely dry of any interesting plots/characters. After Endgame they really didn't seen to have a proper phase and it was a lot of flinging stuff around to see what sticks.

They'll unlock far more better stories once they open the mutant door. And there are plenty of long game mutant antagonists who could take the Thanos style multi movie plot/scheme to make a phase.

martingriff · 19-03-2023 3:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120352007#Comment_120352007

Anything from that site is woeful and clickbait imo

pixelburp · 19-03-2023 9:56pm

I wonder if the MCU will experience even some degree of post-modern, retrospective era other genres often went through during their life-cycle. Obviously, as a whole we've seen plenty of subversive or deconstructionist takes on the Superhero genre, sometimes on-brand sometimes not - and often a few steps removed from the Mainstream. But the MCU has, by dint of its structure, remained extremely resistant to and kind of thematic evolution, while it has pitched itself as very much a mainstream entity and "Four Quadrant" friendly.

But if the reigns ever slackened even a little, it'd be interesting to see if the MCU ever dropped the whole vaunted "phase" structure for more once-offs, or at the very least more self-contained movies that pitched at their own specific tonal level. I've said it before, but the X-Men feel too broad, too established in their own thing to wedge into the MCU. And even within their own sphere they can feel quite different from character to character.

flazio · 19-03-2023 10:04pm

I think you only have to look to Sony and what they are doing with the Spider-Man franchise to see what a mixed bag that can be. Their collaboration with Marvel Studios to give us the Holland trilogy has been a massive success, Into the Spider-Verse likewise a great success, Venom 1 was surprisingly watchable, but then came the sequel, then came Morbius and well Sony need Spider-Verse 2 (and 3) to knock it out of the park otherwise they could be in deep trouble.

Foxtrol · 20-03-2023 8:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120374669#Comment_120374669

That article says absolutely nothing of value.

It is all guesswork and even then it doesn't even agree with you that they are moving away from the phase format.

They lean far more that there'll be a reset. There is no way to argue against this, as eventually all the actors will want to move on. I don't see there being a hard reset as it burns the potential for huge money paydays down the line, where the characters we know from our universe crossover.

No one needs to see all of the MCU to know what is going on in a movie, they never have and never will (maybe Endgame being the only exception and all the person would have needed to see was IW).

Foxtrol · 20-03-2023 8:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120367451#Comment_120367451

Yeah, definitely stalled - too many new movies out and more to come.

Not a great performance but the recent failures of DC movies have really put in context what a different tier the MCU is judged on.

Penn · 21-03-2023 10:53am

Victoria Alonso, one of the main executive producers of the MCU, has resigned.

https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1637887443922989057?s=20

Seems like a fairly big surprise. No reasons given yet. Her main role according to the Variety article seems to have involved post-production and VFX, which seems to be a big area where the MCU have been struggling with for the last few years, likely because of rushed projects, tight timeframes and last-minute changes.

pixelburp · 21-03-2023 11:08am

They have been getting a LOT of bad press and pushback on their FX so perhaps Alonso simply fell on her sword - willingly or otherwise. I had a wee look at some clips of older films, and it's hard to deny: the recent FX have become really shít in places, compared to what they used to pump out.

TherapyBoy · 21-03-2023 11:13am

Delaying & slowing down their output will help with the VFX & post-production side of things, remove some of the pressure & give them more time to work.

pixelburp · 21-03-2023 11:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120382405#Comment_120382405

Not necessarily though; I'm sure it'll help but it also depends on how much Marvel pay these sweatshops, and how much time they're given once the contracts are signed. The films' releases might be pushed back, but that doesn't mean the FX Houses will get the work across their desks sooner.

silverharp · 21-03-2023 11:56am

they have bigger problems, nobody is saying amazing films, shame the fx was a bit ropey. Marvel have induced fatigue with a bunch of meh movies and tv shows meanwhile your wan Alonso has the "passing the mantle" strategy attached to her which seems like a losing strategy and you have to bet that Disney+ will be forced to mind their spending so Marvel will be getting smaller Disney+ cheques. Then I gather their merch and commercial tie ins arent doing so hot.

BruteStock · 21-03-2023 1:32pm

It doesn't mention anywhere she "resigned". Resigned meaning she stepped down voluntarily. When its a sudden move like this and no successor is brought in to take her place , all signs point to her being sacked. Exces of this magnitude don't just quit suddenly. . She got booted just like Bob Paycheck.

https://twitter.com/__chrislee/status/1637947089421479937

https://twitter.com/__ChrisLee/status/1637943581490180096?cxt=HHwWgMDTjcvAkrstAAAA

Penn · 21-03-2023 1:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120382888#Comment_120382888

Okay, fair enough that it doesn't say she resigned. However a sudden move like this and no successor being brought in to take her place could equally be signs that point to her resigning but without advance notice. Oftentimes if they were announcing they fired someone they'd already have a successor in place. It may also just be that the news leaked before an official announcement or plans for a successor were due to be made.

BruteStock · 21-03-2023 2:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120382917#Comment_120382917

There's been reports about the vfx teams being overworked going back a few years

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/how-marvel-can-stop-destroying-the-vfx-industry

Vulture interviewed whistleblowers recently who put part blame on Alonso.

https://www.vulture.com/2023/01/inside-the-vfx-union-brewing-in-hollywood.html#comments

Penn · 21-03-2023 2:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120382995#Comment_120382995

Agreed. Doesn't mean she was fired though. We don't know yet if she decided to leave or if they fired her, or even if she jumped before she was pushed.

johnny_ultimate · 21-03-2023 3:15pm

I always have to watch Limmy’s classic Captain America Vine whenever the subject of Marvel special effects comes up:

https://vine.co/v/OhunjWZaIz1/

pixelburp · 21-03-2023 3:53pm

Dear god, Vines. A Scots-person saying "Git teh fuk" will never not be funny.

Funny, I didn't think the Wakanda Forever FX were that bad, so it's not like they've completely forgotten how to make good FX in the first place. Maybe with Avatar 2 lurking around it at the time, Disney-Marvel reckoned all those water scenes needed a bit more polish?

It also helped at least one of the action set-pieces looked to be a sequence with real stunts and crashing cars - something I will always raise a glass to. The simple joy of vehicular carnage, rendered by a bunch of mad bástards crashing real cars, will never fail to entertain.

pixelburp · 21-03-2023 4:02pm

So back to rumour-mongering: apparently, there's one going around that the link back to The Eternals (Kit Harrington's character, specifically) has been written out of the current script for Blade.

Supposedly, the script is now just 87 pages long; though I'd not call that much of a negative point cos honestly, the idea of a modern blockbuster clocking in at only 90 minutes long sounds fantastic.

Cotts72 · 21-03-2023 4:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383781#Comment_120383781

That's about the only aspect of the eternals I'd be interested in seeing pursued

BruteStock · 23-03-2023 4:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383030#Comment_120383030

Sacking confirmed

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/victoria-alonso-marvel-exit-kevin-feige-1235561995/

The White Wolf · 24-03-2023 8:44am

I doubt Alonso was the ogre she's being made out to be, as standing behind VFX artists on the floor with an axe swinging doesn't make sense given her role (sounds like something she'd be delegating?). But I'd say there was probably enough incidents that Disney were able to run with it and make her a sacrificial lamb.

Imagine if this happened under the watch of Bob Chapek? His name would be all over outlets and social media spitting on him. Bob Iger on the other hand is hilariously skipping away gleefully with very little of the press being about him. I guess people prefer being lied to by the guy who smiles and kisses babies.

Loughc · 24-03-2023 4:51pm

Alonso definitely being made the escape goat here in all this. There's no way anyone can get quality VFX with reasonable timeframes with the current model. The only thing they can do now is drop back to one or two movie releases a year and scrape any upcoming tv shows.

Given the tv shows now all been postponed indefinitely I can see some if not all of them being dropped to redirect resources to the movies VFX.

Marvel Cinematic Universe general stuff

Comments