We recently wrote about who was really to blame for the initial Disney-Sony uncoupling this last summer. Based on recent comments from the top brass at both companies, they now blame the media for inflating the story and bringing public hysteria as a result.
At the same time, both execs admit had it not have been for the public outcry, maybe things would have prolonged. What we know definitively now is that the two companies were already in the process of talks when the media reported on the split. They apparently couldn’t say anything, apparently out of fear of having things misconstrued.
Let’s look at things from the fan perspective now. Should they really receive the praise for repairing things, or was Tom Holland the super mediator with a Spidey sense?
Many fans will do anything to protect their favorite media properties
If not for fan bases, studios wouldn’t be rolling in the millions (and billions) they make every year, despite often taking those fans for granted. It’s easy to see why Disney and Marvel would become complacent just because they know everyone will show up to a Marvel movie based on name recognition alone.
Some might have found the comments off-putting from Disney’s Alan Horn and Sony’s Tom Rothman about the media ballooning the issue. There was also an insinuation the fans ran with the story and created an unnecessary kerfuffle.
At the same time, Horn praised the fans for doing this to get the ball rolling faster. Now they’re seeing just how valuable fans are, if also perhaps overly controlling in getting what they want.
It’s worth remembering the public really does have all the power while not always realizing they do. They’re usually given what they want in the case of Marvel, and maybe their loud voices shape corporate business deals as well.
Will the fans be able to shape everything about Marvel’s future?
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How much power fans have was perhaps confirmed with the Disney-Sony situation, even if it does take one internal figure to move the chess pieces further. Tom Holland did help progress things just as fast by contacting Bob Iger and saying something needed to be done pronto.
However, only that occurred because of the fan response and Holland likely worrying nobody would go see a Sony Spider-Man movie without Kevin Feige at the helm.
The power of the people truly spoke here, and it should give more incentive to the viewing public in demanding what they want to see. In the case of those who think boycotts aren’t effective, you now have proof they are if enough people group together emotionally for a particular media cause.
Should any of you have self-actualization about this, you might wonder how you could shape what Marvel does later if you’re an avid MCU fan.
Marvel should listen to what all the fans really want
If fans truly saved Spider-Man staying in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), what could all the fans do now to wield their power in perhaps creating fast diversity at Marvel? There’s always talk about bringing more women into the Marvel fold (including an all-women MCU project), plus bringing further inclusion.
So far, a lot of talk goes on around corporate tables without a lot happening quickly. In many ways, it’s almost the same there as it was with the business talks between Disney and Sony. Talk is always easy, yet full implementation is sometimes easier said than done.
Let’s hope the viewing public now understands what they can do and uses their voice accordingly to help Marvel improve. Part of this should arguably be non-Marvel fans standing up and making Disney see reason on not squeezing out smaller films in big chain theaters.
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