Marvel Studios has been around for 15 years. The comic book movie company has produced 30 films as well as 10 Disney+ series and special presentations till now. That eye-popping number will reach new heights this year alone. As of now, the MCU has a worldwide gross of about $28 billion. Also, no Marvel movie has ever flopped. Movies like “Eternals” and “The Incredible Hulk” have had less-than-expected box office returns, but they have recovered their budgets. Another fun fact about the MCU is that it is the highest-grossing movie franchise ever.
Suffice it to say that the MCU’s success has been unprecedented. So everyone wants to know what their secret formula is for this. Marvel boss Kevin Feige has finally revealed the secret behind their success.
Marvel Studios President Unveils The Secret Behind Marvel’s Success
Kevin Feige recently sat down with a podcast called The Movie Business and spoke to interviewer Jason E. Squire on all things Marvel. One of the things he addressed was the curiosity behind figuring out Marvel Studios’ secret to success. Feige said that the truth is that there isn’t anything as such. However, he did say that the actual secrecy was rooted in preserving spoilers, storylines, and more from getting leaked.
But if the question is about a specific formula, as everyone has been begging to know for years now, then the actual truth is simply that there’s nothing as such. The Marvel boss then went on to explain something else that allows the storytellers at Marvel Studios to do their job in peace. He said that being a part of Disney means that they get access to the various people who work in the other studios under the mouse.
Feige specifically named Lucasfilm and Pixar in his statement and said that they could have therapeutic conversations with those people. This was because the workers from other studios, like Pixar, made him understand the amount of hard work involved in every project. He said that, at one point, every project seemed terrible. It has to be shaped, worked on, cut, recut, and then further reworked before being released. Learning about this process relieved the Marvel Studios president and made him feel solidarity with the other studios.
After all, this is apparently the same process used at Marvel while developing any project, let alone one that ages well with time (something they strive for). Feige said that he previously believed that only they were struggling to execute the films and that everyone’s movies must have come out perfectly formed from the brains of their creators. So knowing that the grind was real for everyone gave him peace of mind. At the end of his quote, the Marvel Studios producer said that the secret was basically hard work and passion.
Kevin Feige Calls Out Detractors Of The Comic Book Genre
Kevin Feige and Nate Moore sat down for an interview with the Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast and talked about the people who didn’t love the comic book genre. Feige said that there were people who couldn’t get past stories set in space or underwater. He explained that the naysayers could say that these films aren’t for them and move on, but they refuse to do so. Fans of the MCU will know that famous directors like Martin Scorsese and James Cameron have derided comic book films, with Scorsese even labeling them as the equivalent of theme parks.
But Kevin Feige has stood by his company and supported what they do. He expressed that he’s lucky to do this job, and each day is surreal for him since he gets to bring comics to life. The Marvel Studios boss mentioned that he has been making comic book films for about half his life. Feige said that when he first began, he daydreamed about bringing heroes like Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the X-Men to the screen. Feige also thanked audiences for their boisterous enthusiasm so that they could keep doing what they love.
Nate Moore, one of the producers of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” said that nowadays, we are getting more comic book movies based on different heroes than ever before. He says that previously it was just Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. But now we are getting Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy too. Moore also explained that this expansion has allowed comic storytelling to get explored, and as a result, we have films with big adventures, characters, and fantastical ideas. The scale of such things had never been seen before.
Both Kevin Feige and Nate Moore are right. In fact, the comic book genre has become so profitable that we aren’t just seeing superheroes come to life, but other comics like The Watchmen, Sweet Tooth, The Boys, etc., are also getting adapted. So it has allowed everyone to see the potential of a previously marginalized form of storytelling, which is still expanding.
See more: What Is Marvel Studios Doing With ‘Nova’? Insiders Offer Contrasting Data On The Rumored Project
