MarvelBlog News for August 30th, 2021
This week, an anonymous leaker seemingly targeted all Marvel releases, Sony and Disney titles alike.
We’ll talk about that, the staggering success of the Spider-Man trailer, and a new Sony rumor in the latest MarvelBlog News.
Webslinger Breaks Web
People joke-brag about breaking the internet all the time. Usually, they’re talking about trending worldwide or going viral with a post.
That’s all well and good, but Sony Pictures just did something much more impressive. The studio released this teaser trailer:
Suffice to say that some people expressed interest in the continuing saga of Peter Parker.
Spider-Man: No Way Home’s trailer earned a staggering 355.5 million views…in 24 hours.
Yes, the third Spider-Man movie performed better than any trailer EVER. It bested the previous record held by Avengers: Endgame.
Photo: Hype.My
That trailer had managed 289 million views, which had dwarfed anything before then…or after, until now.
So, Sony has quantified the demand for Spider-Man 3 as outrageously high.
Meanwhile, the trailer has reinforced some beliefs about what will transpire in No Way Home.
MarvelBlog News for August 30th. Photo: ComicBook
Four members of the Sinister Six either appear, speak, or get a reference during the clip.
Those four are Sandman, Electro, the Green Goblin, and Doctor Octopus. The not-so-good doctor receives the most attention in the clip.
However, that’s not what has blown people’s minds. Parts of WandaVision and then Loki hinted at the impending Marvel Multiverse.
The Time-Stream. Photo: Marvel
Now, What If…? is exploring those themes. When No Way Home debuts, this theoretical becomes tangible, as it impacts the actual Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Apparently, Dr. Strange makes this happen, which is strange. We’re talking about a dude who evaluated millions of possibilities about beating Thanos.
Now, he’ll just randomly reset the timeline for his work colleague, Peter Parker.
Photo: Sony Pictures
Even if you don’t buy the premise, you will still appreciate the fun tone of the clip. Also, it seems to confirm that the other Spider-Man actors will appear.
Overall, the excitement for this project has made it an anchor project for Sony. Speaking of which…
Will Disney Buy Sony?
Okay, here’s a strange story that has popped up once again. I think I’ve discussed it here at least once before, if not twice.
So, we’re not breaking new ground. The story has become relevant again, though. Spider-Man just proved the viability of the character once more.
Photo: Marvel
Meanwhile, Sony just had to sell the rights to Hotel Transylvania 4 to Amazon Prime for a reported $100 million.
Sure, that sounds like a lot. Unfortunately, Sony is taking a bath on this deal. The Hotel Transylvania franchise has proven quite lucrative.
Photo: IMDb
The third film’s budget was $80 million. As such, the new project costs at least that much, if not more. Sony’s barely turning a profit here if they’re even breaking even.
Contrast that to Summer Vacation, which grossed $529 million worldwide. So you can see how much this transaction has hurt Sony.
Meanwhile, its leadership group just tripled down on theatrical releases for its films. Sony actually hit Disney for the day-and-date strategy, which is absurd.
Alfred Molina and Maguire in Spider-Man 2. Photo: Sony Pictures
Anyway, you can safely ignore what Sony is saying. Behind the scenes, the electronics company sounds ready to get out of the movie business.
Wait, HOW Much?
Sony has at least toyed with the notion of selling Spider-Man and the associated Marvel characters back to Disney.
The reported price tag is over $5 billion, which is an interesting amount. After all, that’s more than Disney paid for the entirety of Marvel.
MarvelBlog News for August 30th. Photo: Marvel
For that matter, Disney bought Pixar and Star Wars for $4 billion each as well. Sony seems to think Disney will pay more than that for the characters it already owns.
Personally, I expect Disney to play the long game here, as Sony seems to be flailing. To wit, Venom: Let There Be Carnage recently changed dates.
Then, media outlets suggested that the movie had dropped back to 2022. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has indicated otherwise.
Columbia Pictures | Marvel Entertainment | Tencent Pictures
Venom 2 will remain in October, come Hell or high water. That’s…a strategy. I wouldn’t say it’s a GOOD strategy, but that’s where we’re at.
On the one hand, Sony is posturing that it feels so good about the state of the film industry that it’s only (?) delaying Venom one more time.
I had to fact-check the matter. By my count, that’s the Venom sequel’s fifth delay from October 2020 to June 2021 to two different weeks in September and now October.
MarvelBlog News for August 30th. Photo: Sony Pictures
Simultaneously, Sony just sold a cash cow at cost to get some quick cash flow.
Now, I fully expect Spider-Man: No Way Home to do very well, as long as enough theaters are open.
Even so, Sony is acting like it’s holding four aces when everyone else at the table can tell they’re bluffing.
Sweet Tooth’s Christian Convery played non-credited in Venom. Photo: Reddit
As such, Disney has no need to buy back the Spider-Man rights at the moment. Disney can continue to let Sony’s film division struggle to survive.
Marvel Miscellany
First, let’s talk about an injury. Yes, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever suffered an unfortunate incident on the set.
Letitia Wright, who portrays Shuri, experienced a stunt rig mishap. Her injuries were severe enough that she went to the hospital.
Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Photo: AKGS/BACKGRID
I’ll add two points about the situation. There’s absolutely no indication that Wright or any stunt team members did anything wrong, at least not yet.
Stunts sometimes go awry. If a stunt performer screwed up, that WILL come out later.
If Wright screwed up, nobody will say anything since she got injured. That would be piling on.
Photo: Entertainment Weekly
Also, the injury apparently isn’t serious at all. So it won’t delay production any.
Ergo, it’s obviously not as severe as what happened with Harrison Ford with Indiana Jones 5. That’s a good thing.
This week’s other story makes me uncomfortable, as it involves leaks or hacks or something in the range between the two.
Aragonés depiction of comic con. Photo: Dark Horse
The Spider-Man trailer leaked the day before Sony posted it. Soon afterward, people started breaking stories about an upcoming Disney title.
Yes, plenty of spoilers about Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are out in the wild.
In fact, you’ll find so many of them that this debacle almost works in Disney’s favor. Nobody will know which of them to believe.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Having said that, the most exciting rumor involves a battle between the Scarlet Witch and members of the Marvel Multiverse.
If rumors are to be believed, Wanda will square off against some non-Disney/Sony characters whom you already know from other Marvel movies.
MarvelBlog News for August 30th. Photo: Marvel Comics
I’ll believe this one when I see it and not a moment sooner. Still, if you have friends who are losing their minds over potential spoilers, that’s the topic at hand.
