Disney Headlines for May 6th, 2025
This week in Disney Headlines: Thunderbolts* excels, while Hawkeye expresses outrage.
We’ve got turmoil in the MCU. How big a deal is it really, though? Also, I’ll circle back to one of last year’s most discussed Headlines.
‘Thunderbolts*’ Does the Job
Photo: Rappler
If you haven’t watched Thunderbolts* yet, the internet is a dangerous place to be right now.
Spoilers abound as fans excitedly discuss THAT scene after the credits. It’s the longest post-credits scene in MCU history.
More importantly, that sequence establishes what’s about to happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney’s money-making machine.
Last year, Deadpool & Wolverine netted an estimated $400 million, according to a Deadline series on box office profit.
Photo: IMDB
While I question the accuracy of such calculations as a rule, everyone would agree that Deadpool 3 proved wildly successful.
The problem is that Marvel immediately followed that film with Captain America: Brave New World.
Photo: Disney
As I type this, that film’s box office is – let me check my notes – nowhere nearly enough. Woof.
The latest Captain America movie is looking up at Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a depressing thought.
Photo: Marvel
Marvel has known for years now that Brave New World was in a world of trouble.
Early test screenings were nothing short of disastrous, forcing massive reshoots and the introduction of an entirely new character.
Photo: Marvel
There’s an alternate reality where WWE wrestler Seth Rollins was in the movie instead of Giancarlo Esposito.
Since Esposito’s scenes are among the highlights of Brave New World, you can guess how lousy the original cut was.
Photo: Marvel
Marvel did what it could to save the project, but what it managed more than anything else was to sever the film’s connection to Thunderbolts*.
In the process, this weekend’s new release faced a fascinating dilemma. It’s an objectively fantastic film, as indicated by its metrics.
Rotten Tomatoes
Thunderbolts* earned an A- Cinemascore and has a Rotten Tomatoes Fresh Rating of 88 percent.
This is the film Marvel needed, which raises a question. Why is it performing slightly worse than Brave New World?
The Problem with Going Second
Marvel scheduled Thunderbolts* as the film after the Captain America sequel. That was always the plan.
Even after the studio knew Thunderbolts* was better, executives resisted the temptation to release it first.
Photo: People
There’s a known quantity in box office circles. It’s that quality matters in a franchise.
When John Wick 3 is good, more people go see John Wick 4 on opening weekend, which is exactly what happened.
Photo: Entertainment Weekly
The same logic applies in the MCU, but it works slightly differently.
Consumers calculate their excitement level based on the last movie. In the case of Brave New World, it followed Deadpool & Wolverine.
Photo: Entertainment Weekly
So, fans were excited about the MCU once again. Then, the mediocrity of Brave New World damaged Thunderbolts* on opening weekend.
It’s a fractional consideration in the greater scheme, but Marvel willingly took this hit.
Photo: Marvel
The studio could have flipped Thunderbolts* to come out first. Then, it and Brave New World likely would have opened better.
This move would have proven short-sighted, though, as Brave New World’s lukewarm reception would have impacted a different film instead.
Fantastic Four: First Steps
Marvel has VERY high hopes for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, just as it did for Thunderbolts*.
So, the studio more or less left Brave New World to die and thereby gave itself a clean reboot with Thunderbolts*.
Fantastic Four: First Steps
That tactic seems brilliant right about now, as audiences are leaving the theater feeling the same way I did.
Hopefully, the film will sustain that momentum in the coming weeks, which is what I expect. Nothing is ever guaranteed at the box office, though.
Marvel
Presuming that happens, fans will be MUCH more excited about the Fantastic Four movie, which is essential to Marvel’s strategy.
That story directly ties into what comes next, which is Avengers: Doomsday.
More Marvel Weirdness
Photo: Disney
I think it’s fair to say that Marvel made the best of a bad situation with Brave New World, a film I actually liked better than most.
Still, if you were involved with that project, you may feel a bit abandoned by Disney, which is also true of Snow White.
Photo: Disney
Frankly, the studio has made some hard choices lately, ones that have alienated friends.
Justin Hermes discussed another one the other day, and it’s a frustrating update.
Photo: Marvel
Marvel apparently approached Jeremy Renner about co-starring in season two of Hawkeye.
That’s legitimately one of Marvel’s best television series to date, and I love it so much it’s become a December tradition at my household.
Hawkeye – Avengers Headquarters
Right now, another co-star of that project, Florence Pugh, is starring as the de facto lead in Thunderbolts*.
Meanwhile, Renner waited until the day of the film’s release to announce his displeasure with his former (?) bosses.
Marvel
After the actor suffered his nightmarish injury, Disney offered him half the pay for the second season of Hawkeye.
Renner understandably took offense at that…and for several reasons. It’s harder for him to work right now.
Source: Marvel Studios
He’s also more famous because of the mishap. In the wake of his violent accident, stories came out about his generosity and innate decency.
Even though Renner was more popular than ever, Disney wanted him to take less money. And the actor stresses it was Disney, not Marvel, responsible.
Source: Marvel Studios
As someone who openly called for Renner’s triumphant return in Hawkeye, I’m apoplectic that they blew this one. It was an easy win.
To a larger point, when someone’s been through something like that, common decency suggests that you don’t offend them.
Marvel
Just don’t make an offer if you’re going to make an insulting one! Hopefully, Bob Iger sees this and fixes it.
Closing the Book
Last year, I hunted down a story about a reported Disney hack as a Headline. I also wrote this article about it.
At the time, I was amused by several aspects of the story, some of which were secondary to the report.
Photo: Rappler
Someone definitely gained access to Disney’s corporate Slack and copied some of the files.
Back then, some disingenuous reports would have had you believe that it was the worst hack in the history of Hollywood.
Photo:seoclerk.com
Anyone who remembers Sony and a film called The Interview knows how laughable that suggestion is.
On a different note, the size of the published documents strongly indicated that the hack was modest. It was only a bit more than a terabyte of data.
Photo: Computer Hope
I’ve got multiple 16+ terabyte hard drives sitting on the floor of the other room.
One terabyte is nothing. To wit, the Sony hack involved 100 terabytes of data ten years ago. It was a massive breach, while this was a hiccup.
Photo: https://medium.com/coding-den
But by far the weirdest part of the story was the inaccuracy about the perpetrator.
For whatever reason, some ordinarily credible sites ran with the story that a Russian hacker group had infiltrated Disney.
All I had to do was check a credible security protocols site to realize it was a weird loner acting on his own.
This person was a TERRIBLE criminal, also. He left identification marks everywhere, making him painfully easy to catch.
Walt Disney Company
Now, he’s facing a ten-year prison sentence for being one of the world’s dumbest criminals.
Long story short: Folks, if you’re going to pick a fight with somebody, don’t choose a company legendary for its lawyers.
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Feature Photo: Marvel
