1
Credit: Inside the MagicThe unholy anger of Disney fans and audiences is awakening.
Related: Marvel Reportedly Adding ANOTHER ‘WandaVision’ Sequel to Disney+ Lineup
In 1937, Walt Disney Pictures achieved a momentous milestone with the release of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, their first-ever full-length animated feature film. This groundbreaking cinematic accomplishment completely revolutionized the industry and firmly established Disney as a trailblazer in both storytelling and artistic excellence. Over the course of a century, Disney’s influence has grown immensely, culminating in the creation of its exclusive streaming platform, Disney+ (Disney Plus). Disney has created a nearly self-contained world of entertainment, encompassing all their acquired franchises, from Pixar Animation Studios’ Toy Story series to Lucasfilm’s Star Wars saga(s) and even the immensely lucrative Avatar franchise by James Cameron.
But it was under the guidance of Marvel Studios’ President, Kevin Feige, and now under the ownership of The Walt Disney Company, that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) revolutionized the superhero film genre, leaving a profound impact on the entire movie industry. The pinnacle of the MCU’s Phase Three came with the highly anticipated releases of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), signifying a momentous achievement for the franchise as it firmly established itself in the world of entertainment. This period marked the conclusion of the initial three phases of the MCU, famously known as the Infinity Saga.
The state of Marvel Studios
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) beginning the second act of its new Multiverse Saga (Phase Four, Phase Five, and Phase Six) significant changes seem to be in the studio’s future. The landscape of superhero genre films is undergoing a transformation with the rise of a formidable competitor in James Gunn’s DC Universe, transitioning from being Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy director to becoming the CEO of DC Studios. Additionally, both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) are currently in the midst of simultaneous strikes with the big Hollywood studios — Disney included. These new challenges MCU can no longer maintain its near-monopoly on the superhero movie genre while continuing to produce new MCU content at the same rapid pace as before.
Related: Disney Will No Longer Be Selling Physical Marvel DVDs
Fans refuse to be exploited by Disney
Now, it seems like audiences are absolutely ready to hold Disney’s proverbial feet to the fire. After the news that the new Marvel Studios WandaVision collector’s steelbook would be dropping sans physical discs, the fan response was almost immediate.
Despite learning that the steelbook product by Manta Labs may or may not be officially licensed, it seems like the can of worms has already been opened for many fans, who are now discussing the initial viral news — and they’re not happy with even the idea of missing content.
Twitter user Foz Meadows quote tweeted The Direct’s initial coverage of the “discless steelbook”, and went straight for the jugular, stating that the very idea of Disney+ selling “physical media” without actual “physical copies” makes them “so enraged” that they are “tasting colors on the shrimp spectrum”.
The following includes language that may not be suitable for younger readers.
Straight up calling Disney (and any studio daring to think of pulling something like this) as “COWARDS”, “clowns” and “f*cking rubes”. Meadows continues, raging that studios are willing to take actions like this while refusing to pay their writers. The user ends with their viral tweet with a succinct “eat GLASS”:
the idea of disney+ selling “physical media” that does not, in fact, include a physical copy of the media in question makes me so enraged that I’m tasting colours on the shrimp spectrum
(cont.) @DisneyPlus @DisneyStudios you COWARDS. you clowns. you absolute fucking rubes. do you have any idea how much more money you and every other streamer would make if you let people just fucking own real copies of your shit? you’ll do this but you won’t pay your writers? eat GLASS
@DisneyPlus @DisneyStudios you COWARDS. you clowns. you absolute fucking rubes. do you have any idea how much more money you and every other streamer would make if you let people just fucking own real copies of your shit? you'll do this but you won't pay your writers? eat GLASS
— Foz Meadows (@fozmeadows) July 24, 2023
At nearly 60K likes at the time of writing, it seems like this sentiment is very much reciprocated by the general public. User @GradeBMaple expressed “complicated feelings toward Disney and Marvel Studios” that are mostly “extremely negative” — but they would still consider buying a “box set of Moon Knight“, the 2022 Disney+ Marvel series starring Oscar Isaac (Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Moon Knight):
I have complicated feelings toward Disney and marvel studios particularly and many of those feelings are extremely negative but you know what? I’d buy a box set of Moon Knight. If they would only release one. I’m sure not going to buy an empty box! WTF?
I have complicated feelings toward Disney and marvel studios particularly and many of those feelings are extremely negative but you know what? I'd buy a box set of Moon Knight. If they would only release one. I'm sure not going to buy an empty box! WTF?
— Songbreeze Swifteye (Rose) 💗💜💙 🌺🍇🐬 (@GradeBMaple) July 24, 2023
Meanwhile @Zagrea444 opens up about how this has already been happening in the video game industry, stating that “media is wild and broken” and they’re “excited to see it all crash”:
Wasn’t there a collectors edition of a video game not too long ago that didn’t even come with a disk?
Fallout 4 was truly ahead of its time. Media is wild and broken and I’m excited to see it all crash.
Wasn't there a collectors edition of a video game not too long ago that didn't even come with a disk?
Fallout 4 was truly ahead of its time. Media is wild and broken and I'm excited to see it all crash.
— Zagrea, Starbreaker (@Zagrea44) July 25, 2023
In order to maintain the allegiance of both Marvel fans and casual viewers, Disney and Marvel Studios must simultaneously embrace innovation and introduce compelling new elements, in order to keep audiences engaged. Continuing this success and satisfying the audience’s expectations ought to be crucial during these bumpy times.
After this intense backlash, it seems unlikely that Disney will be willing to pull similar stunts in the future. Perhaps it might also make it clear to other players in the industry that there is in fact a demand for tangible memorabilia and physical copies of streaming hits.
What do you think about the intense backlash aimed at Disney? Do you prefer owning physical media or the convenience of streaming platforms? Share your thoughts in the comments below!