After ‘Rough’ 2023, Marvel Studios Boss Bets ‘On Coming Back Strong’

Louis D’Esposito looked back at 2023 as a learning curve. (Photo Credits: X)

For a variety of reasons, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) saw a dismal box office performance in 2023, making it a turbulent year for superhero films. The general public’s apparent lack of excitement for studio superhero offerings was hurtful in many ways; it raised concerns about the genre’s overall viability and suggested that the heyday of superhero films could be coming to an end. Co-president of Marvel Studios Louis D’Esposito told Empire, “It’s been a rough time,” indicating that he is fully aware of the franchise’s struggles, especially in 2023.

The underwhelming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels was released in 2023. The latter film apparently made a net loss of $237 million (Roughly Rs 2,000 crore) and is the lowest-grossing MCU film ever, taking in just $206 million (Roughly Rs 1700 crore) worldwide.

But, Louis D’Esposito believes things could soon improve since Deadpool & Wolverine is approaching and fans are excited to see Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on screen together.

According to D’Esposito, doing too much causes you to become a little less of yourself. He went on to say that they would no longer be doing that and would instead concentrate on making maybe two to three films and one or two shows a year rather than four films and four shows. “We learned our lesson,” he mentioned.

In the Empire interview, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige mentioned how much he loves being “the underdog,” just as he did with 2008’s Iron Man to launch the MCU.

Feige remarked, “I’m much more comfortable being the underdog. “I prefer being able to surprise and exceed expectations. So it does seem like the last year, which has not been ideal, has set us up well for that.”

Shawn Levy, the director of Deadpool and Wolverine, remarked that one must be living under a rock to ignore the fact that the most recent Marvel films haven’t captured the public’s imagination the way the previous ones did. “We do come along at an interesting time,” he stated.

The only Marvel movie hitting cinemas this year is Deadpool and Wolverine and it’s a biggie. With Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in the lead roles, Marvel is in desperate need of a box office hit and 2024 is shaping up to be a strong year for the same.

Disney’s Deadpool and Wolverine will hit cinemas on July 26.