Credit: Inside the MagicWhere is Disney’s money going?
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In the span of a century, The Walt Disney Company’s impact has expanded significantly, reaching its apparent pinnacle with the inception of its dedicated streaming service, Disney+ (Disney Plus). The company has forged an almost self-contained realm of entertainment, embracing a multitude of acquired franchises, ranging from Pixar Animation Studios’ Toy Story series to Lucasfilm’s Star Wars sagas and the highly lucrative Avatar franchise by James Cameron.
Disney+ and Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have had an interesting past few years.
When Disney+ debuted under then-CEO Bob Chapek, there was a rush to create a strong catalog of Disney+ Original programming. One of the main pillars of the streamer would undoubtedly be Marvel TV offerings, with the superhero giant abandoning their previous Netflix agreement (and its “street-level” Defenders characters like Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock) and venturing into bringing the movie Marvel universe into the home.
The award-winning WandaVision (2021) kicked things off with a Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch-centric (Elizabeth Olsen) show bringing back the magic-user’s deceased husband Vision (Paul Bettany) and a mystery surrounding her newfound family starring in a perfect, suburban sitcom.
The Tom Hiddleston-led Loki (2021) followed, exploring a Multiverse “variant” of the eponymous antihero character Loki Odinson/Loki Laufeyson, in a time-travelling romp alongside Owen Wilson’s Mobius M. Mobius. It also garnered significant critical acclaim.
There appeared to be a drop in quality following 2021’s other MCU-tied releases Hawkeye (2021) and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), resulting in the frequently-panned She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) and Secret Invasion (2023) — the latter of which caused a stir for its ridiculously high budget of $212 million.
Now Disney+’s first TV-MA-rated show has seemingly changed all of that, with a huge critical turnaround. However, a recent report of the show’s budget has shocked fans and is bringing into question Disney’s recent Marvel television decisions.
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Disney’s Baffling Budgets and the Marvel Controversy
Disney needs to take another look at its finances regarding Disney+ and its Marvel shows, according to fans.
Despite 2024’s Echo seemingly being abandoned by Marvel leading up to its release, the new show featuring a deaf and disabled indigenous lead Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo proved the early naysayers wrong, satisfying fans and critics alike with a more grounded Marvel venture.
Forbes‘ report that Marvel’s Echo cost only $40 million — a mere fraction of other projects’ budgets — has astonished Marvel fans.
This is especially true when compared to Marvel’s most recent Disney+ releases, Secret Invasion and She-Hulk, both costing over $200 million to produce. That’s a whopping $437 million in Disney dollars.
This news has caused criticism from fans online, with individuals like X (formerly Twitter) user Abhishek Malhotra coming out to speak on the issue, being particularly quick to draw comparisons in quality between the shows:
Yet ECHO was far better than the other two💯
Yet ECHO was far better than the other two💯
— Abhishek Malhotra (@Abhii_Malhotra) January 30, 2024
Others are simply baffled that the company’s money could be mishandled this badly, with users like Rohnan recommending that Disney acquire financial help:
Yeah. Idk what they’re doing over there but someone needs to hire a financial advisor
Yeah. Idk what they're doing over there but someone needs to hire a financial advisor
— Rohnan (@rohnan01) January 30, 2024
Generally, the fan consensus seems to be that Marvel Studios’ budgets need to drop “across the board”, with the amount spent failing to equate to project quality:
@FizzAgain: MCU budgets need to drop to this level across the board. These budgets are so over inflated these days.
MCU budgets need to drop to this level across the board. These budgets are so over inflated these days.
— Fizz-sama (@FizzAgain) January 30, 2024
There’s a clear disconnect between these Marvel shows’ budgets and their perceived quality.
Now that Disney+ does not need to beef up its pile of Originals as much, and considering that Marvel Studios’ reputation (and box office earnings) have taken a serious hit as of late, the time definitely seems right to pull back on the extravagant, “throw-money-at-Marvel-projects-and-see-what-sticks” approach of recent years.
Season 2 of Loki also celebrated a massive critical win with merely $140 million next to Secret Invasion‘s astonishing budget.
Sitting at around 30% of even that, Echo certainly seems like a step in the right direction for Marvel.
Do you think Disney and Marvel need to reassess their budgets for Disney+ releases? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
More on Marvel’s Echo
Initially slated for a Summer 2023 debut, Echo premiered on Disney+ (Disney Plus) on January 9, 2024. Part of the “Marvel Spotlight” series, Echo stars Alaqua Cox in the lead role as Echo/Maya Lopez.
Echo follows Maya Lopez’s journey from New York City to Oklahoma after her adventures in Hawkeye alongside Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). The storyline delves into her exploration of reconnecting with her Native American heritage.
Adding to the excitement, Daredevil/Matt Murdock, also known as the Man Without Fear and portrayed by Charlie Cox, debuted in a special appearance. Maya Lopez tangles with Vincent D’Onofrio’s intimidating Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, who pursues Echo back to her Choctaw Nation childhood home in Oklahoma.
Zahn McClarnon takes on the role of William Lopez, joined by Chaske Spencer as Henry Lopez/Black Crow, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, Cody Lightning as Biscuits, and Graham Greene as Skully.