Marvel has had questionable returns on its films and shows over the last couple of years. Budgets have ballooned out of control, while the box office has constricted like the sphincters of the executives when they get the final bills. While “Deadpool & Wolverine” outperformed expectations at the box office, other films like “The Marvels,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania,” and “The Eternals” have massively underperformed.
In the case of “Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania,” the CGI was mocked in some parts of the film.
The overwhelming demand on the VFX workers led to unionization, even at Marvel.
Now, Marvel is changing its approach, focusing on less CGI, more practical effects, and slimmer budgets.
The news comes from Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel. Budget reductions have already begun with “Agatha All Along” and will continue into the upcoming “Daredevil Born Again” show.
“I can tell you it’s our least expensive show, and I think that was by design. We are looking to make these shows for a responsible cost. Frankly, it gives us a little bit more freedom creatively when we can bring them in at a reasonable budget. Like [“Agatha All Along”], for example, the show has minimal CG, way less than we’ve ever done before. It’s mostly practical effects, and I think you can feel it in the show.”
Marvel is cutting costs to maximize profits. It doesn’t apply only to Disney+ shows. Winderbaum said that the new approach will also apply to Phase 6 of the MCU.
“…certainly holds true with ‘Daredevil’ and our future slate as we look down the pike at ’26 and ’27. That’s certainly the goal.”
As the MCU has grown bigger and further along, so has its reliance on CGI. It would be refreshing to see the films return to more practical effects and acting instead. “Daredevil Born Again” would be a perfect fit for this as it is based more on the Netflix “Daredevil” series, which also relied more on stunts and practical effects than digital enhancement.
This is likely why the next Captain America film seems to focus on espionage and less on CGI.
A lot of recent “flops” have massive budget spikes after filming wrapped up and the project moved to the VFX departments.
Winderbaum said they are thinking about how to use the effects better instead of simply relying on the scale of the effects.
“I think it’s about how you use the effects, as opposed to the scale of the effects. And we’re responding to our own recent history here, and how effective effects really are in increasing the value of a story.”
Make no mistake—this is about saving money. However, I do think it’s the right choice. Personally, I welcome the change.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially with the budgets compared to the box office returns.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: Variety
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