David Pierdomenico
It’s been the most widely discussed entertainment business move since Disney bought Lucasfilm back in 2012, and once again Disney seems to be buying up every studio they can get their hands on. Some fans are excited at the potential for future crossovers, while others are apprehensive about the reach of one studio’s influence over the world. Either way, Disney just paid $71.3 billion (compared to the $4 billion they spent on Lucasfilm) to make the purchase and the world is still wondering what the long term effects will be. Because absolutely no one shells out that kind of money without having some grand plans in mind.
A Completed Marvel Cinematic Universe
Of course the most prominent thought on everyone’s mind is how this will affect the MCU. For years Marvel Studios has been unable to use some of their most popular characters. Between the Sony deal for Spiderman and this, that’s all a thing of the past now. It’s difficult to know how they will go about doing it, if at all. Both the MCU and Fox’s X-Men franchises are very well established with many films going back at least 10 years. But X-Men is at a point where its films are dwindling in popularity. While Logan was beloved, it was also the ending to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and Apocalypse was released to a mediocre reception. Perhaps now is the best time to reboot it under Marvel, especially after Avengers 4 next year so as to jump start a new cinematic universe. It would be interesting to finally see the X-Men interact with other characters of Marvel, as well as finally see the Fantastic Four done right.
But it also leaves the “Merc with a Mouth” in a precarious position. Deadpool is nowhere near family friendly enough for Disney, but he is a financial juggernaut. Perhaps they will go forward with X-Force but keep it under the Fox banner and keep contained to its own continuity. After all, Deadpool has always existed in sort of his own little world. Given his use of time travel in Deadpool 2, we may even see him cross universes and pop up in future MCU movies, obviously censored to satisfy a PG-13 rating. Which of course he’ll look right at the camera to complain about in his typical fashion. Some fear that the MCU already has far too many characters, but with most of the original Avengers lineup scheduled to leave after Avengers 4, perhaps new blood from X-Men and Fantastic Four is just what the franchise will need to stay fresh.
The Board Game That Ends Friendships
It turns out the business practice of monopoly is just as dangerous as the game for which it’s named. Anyone who’s ever played knows how unpleasant it gets for the other players when one of them starts to own everything on the board. Business 101 teaches us that for a true capitalist system to thrive, competition is crucial. Disney already owns and/or has distribution rights for ABC, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and now 21st Century Fox. With this, they control two of the largest franchises in history (MCU and Star Wars).
The potential danger in this is that one company could dominate the entertainment landscape by never letting up with sequels/reboots, and stifling any film that isn’t theirs. Their major studio competitors now consist of Universal, Warner Brothers, Sony, Lionsgate, and Paramount. A decade ago, this list was much longer. If they gain full control, they could charge whatever they want for movie tickets, or their own streaming service which they’re already launching to outdo Netflix. For creativity to flourish, we need new ideas from a variety of places. If there is only one studio who rules over all, how many great ideas will never see the light of day, solely because that one studio didn’t want it?
It Might Not Change Much At All
There is of course a third, possibly less likely scenario: perhaps we’re all just overreacting. Part of the reason Disney was even interested in Fox was because of its vast reach and earning potential. Fox has been behind huge blockbusters such as Deadpool and the rest of the X-Men franchise. In addition, their subsidiary company Fox Searchlight Pictures has given the world such Oscar winners as The Shape of Water, Three Billboards, and Birdman. It’s definitely possible that Disney will take a hands off approach and simply allow Fox to continue what it’s already doing and create a passive income stream for them. After all, it’s going to take a lot of box office dollars and ad revenue to make back the billions Disney spent to acquire it.
Honestly, it’s too early to know for certain. But as long as consumers continue to vote with their wallets, a studio flop can send a message that audiences don’t like what they’re putting out. The same is true with a hit. So no matter how Disney plays this, it’s up to us to decide whether we like it or not, and to make our voices heard.
