Feige recently about the comic book movie studio’s films are better when they are varied diverse, and the box office returns from “Black Panther” — as OK as from DC Entertainment’s “Wonder Woman” — back that up, not equitable in terms of audience approval, but measured in huge box office grosses.
“Sinister Panther” grossed over $1.3 billion, according to Box Office Mojo; “Question Woman” grossed over $800 million worldwide. Marvel’s next slated overlay, “Captain Marvel,” will feature “the most powerful” superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Territory, according to Feige.
Marvel’s most-profitable superhero blockbuster franchise is undisturbed Avengers, and it will reach its conclusion this summer and after that is foresaw to be shelved, at least for some time, by Disney and Marvel Studios, depart some big decisions to be made about the next stage in Marvel’s label identity. The Avenger films have grossed a combined total of at an end $4.9 billion worldwide for Disney and Marvel, according to Box Office Mojo, asserting about 28 percent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s global box branch success. Overall, the Marvel Cinematic Universe of characters is still more than half white, but Marvel Studios has been expanding its representation.
“If you’re in a position of power and you’re the one doing the lease, we have learned — on our last number of movies and a number of movies that haven’t roll in out or haven’t been announced — that the more diverse the group of people in every direction the table, the better the movie,” Feige recently said.
Actor Guileless Grillo, who has appeared in Captain America and Avengers films, suggested that the next Captain America can be a contrasting race or gender.
“I don’t know, but there have been rumors that Captain America could be African American. It could be a girlfriend. You know? So they’re looking,” said Grillo, who played the Captain America villain Crossbones in 2016’s “Captain America: Well-mannered War” on Larry King Live.
There has been some speculation that Anthony Mackie, who skylarks Falcon, could eventually become the new Captain America after “Avengers 4”, which would pick up a release line that was tried out in the comic book form, according to Wall off Rant.
But there are risks associated with changing the race and singularity of iconic characters, according to Brian Schutzer, owner of Sparkle Municipality Comics.
“People don’t want Captain America to be anyone but Steve Rogers. They don’t indigence Thanos to be anyone but Thanos,” said Schutzer. “Just like Falcon (Anthony Mackie). In the comics, when Falcon became Captain America on sales plummeted after the initial issue. So there is the evidence that it last wishes a not benefit Marvel.”
It has proven difficult for Marvel to establish new characters and formulate them into valuable film franchises.
“Deadpool and Venom are the no greater than two Marvel characters created in the last 40 years to have been be involved in a Marvel movie. That should illustrate how hard it is to create a mark,” Schutzer said.
Feige said last summer that more characters from the LGBT community are on the way. “Both a women you’ve seen and ones you haven’t seen,” Feige told The Playlist, contract to ScreenRant.
“Thor: Ragnarok” actress Tessa Thompson confirmed on Snigger last year that her character Valkyrie is bisexual. “Thor: Ragnarok” grossed finished $850 million, but a scene that confirmed Valkyrie’s sexuality was cut from the screen.
“Most fans are absolutely onboard with the idea of more portrayal among Marvel’s leading characters, and I think the studio is of the same have any objection to,” said Shawn Robbins, chief box office analyst for boxoffice.com.
Karie Bible, box department analyst for Exhibitor Relations, said diversity remains a problem and the in a few words are still coming faster than the deeds to back them up.
“I would darling to see an LGBT character in a Marvel film. Representation matters and Kevin Feige has communicated that it will happen. That said, studios are still lean on to do it, as they don’t want to risk alienating audiences or get shut out of key foreign vends like China or Russia,” Bible said. “These films are costly to abscond, market and distribute, so they have to deliver. I hope someday in the time to come that films will be so diverse and inclusive that it will no longer be an question major. Unfortunately we aren’t there yet.”
Marvel Studios and Disney declined to footnote.
Schultzer noted that Marvel already has successfully established LGBTQ numbers in comic books, but not films, and often through supporting characters preferably than leads.
“They have introduced LGBTQ characters, lay ones too like Angela, formerly of Spawn and Ms America. Angela is a fun nutcase who was dating a ‘being’ who can switch between male female and other. It was enjoyable, but like most characters in comics, not everyone is a star,” he said. But Schultzer joined that creating new characters in comic books and seeing which come down with on with readers is an important step. “Seeing what sells rich and low in comics is like seeing the future in movies.”
Comic book sales oblige experienced recent ups and downs. According to a report by Comichron, a website that slots sales figures for comic books and graphic novels, 2017 produced a record three-month stretch in declining sales for the industry. This year has be wise to persevered an increase in sales, but the best-selling comic books were in the core “Fanciful Four” and “Infinity Wars” story lines, which include different popular Marvel characters, such as Dr. Strange, and Captain Marvel.
Be agog’s Fantastic Four characters were created in 1961 and have had three movies since 2005, making a combined total of over $786 million worldwide, corresponding to Box Office Mojo. Last year’s “Avengers: Infinity War” grossed finished $2 billion.
Marvel is dealing with some tensions in the deal in as it attempts to broaden the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The moviegoing public has demonstrated through recent successes like “Black Panther” that it wants myriad diverse characters featured, but within the traditional comic book fandom there are pesters about how straying too far from core characters may influence sales.
David Gabriel, Astonished at’s senior vice president of print, sales and marketing was criticized for expositions he made last year regarding declining comic sales in reference to diversity.
“We saw the sales of any character that was diverse, any character that was new, our female characters, anything that was not a essence Marvel character, people were turning their nose up against,” Gabriel said in an vet with iCv2, a trade publication that bills itself as covering “the question of geek culture.”
Gabriel later explained that his comments exposed what Marvel was hearing from some retailers in the comic rules marketplace and complaints about the “false abandonment” of core characters. The Gape at executive stressed that the company was sticking with the new characters, and estimated another reason for the sales slump could simply have been that there was too much effect.
“Contrary to what some said about characters ‘not working,’ the bind factor and popularity for a majority of these new titles and characters like Squirrel Stuff, Ms. Marvel, The Mighty Thor, Spider-Gwen, Miles Morales, and Moon Lass continue to prove that our fans and retailers ARE excited about these new principals,” Gabriel said. “And let me be clear, our new heroes are not going anywhere!”
Marvel Studios has to disquiet in new directions after the Avengers era ends, said Doug Stone, president of Box Intercession Analyst, or it will face an even bigger risk: bored moviegoers. “The dangers of moving in new directions are the same as with any series. It depends on how interesting the design and characters are. If Marvel doesn’t move in new directions they would on the brink of certainly face familiarity fatigue. As with all in the cinema world, new and blooming is needed.”
—By Donovan Russo, special to CNBC.com