Kevin Feige Gets Real About Why Recent MCU Movies Flopped — And He Nails It

Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, recently spoke about why some of Marvel’s newest movies didn’t perform well at the box office. Feige pointed to The Marvels as the clearest example of where things went wrong. The movie was released in November 2023 and ended up making just around $206 million globally, which is low for a Marvel film.

Other recent MCU entries didn’t meet expectations either. Captain America: Brave New World, which came out in early 2025, made about $415 million. Thunderbolts*, released in May 2025, made around $382 million.

According to Feige, part of the problem is Marvel’s shift toward expanding the universe through Disney+ shows. He believes fans started to feel like they had to keep up with too much content just to understand the movies.

“It’s that expansion that I think led people to say, ‘Do I have to see all of these? It used to be fun, but now do I have to know everything about all of these?’ And I think The Marvels hit it hardest where people are like, ‘OK, I recognize her from a billion-dollar movie. But who are those other two? I guess they were in some TV show. I’ll skip it.’”

Feige gave a similar explanation to Deadline when talking about Thunderbolts*. He said that even though the film turned out well, the characters and the title didn’t connect with general audiences because many of them were introduced in Disney+ shows.

“Thunderbolts* was a very good movie, but nobody knew that title, and many of those characters were from shows. There was that residual effect of [audiences going], ‘I guess I had to have seen these other shows to understand who this is?’”

As for Captain America: Brave New World, Feige said that people didn’t fully connect with it because it was the first time the lead wasn’t played by Chris Evans. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson took over the shield, but the transition didn’t land with every fan.

Still, Feige remains optimistic. He pointed out that DC’s Superman recently crossed over $500 million worldwide, proving that audiences are still interested in superhero stories. Feige said it’s not superhero fatigue, it’s about how the stories are told and how much people are asked to keep up with.

Looking ahead, Marvel is excited about The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which has already earned $227 million globally. It could become Marvel’s first major box office success of 2025.

Feige also talked about the studio’s journey with Disney+ and how the large amount of content may have overwhelmed fans. Before the pandemic, Marvel had created around 50 hours of content total. Now, between shows and movies, that number has more than doubled. If you include animated shows, the total is around 127 hours.

While Feige stands by shows like WandaVision and Loki, he did admit that the rapid growth might have taken a toll. “It’s the expansion that is certainly what devalued [the studio and its content],” he said. But he still believes it was worth the risk, given how many characters fans wanted to see.

He also explained that Marvel has been focusing on reducing production costs. They’ve looked at how other movies, like The Creator, were made more cheaply overseas. This inspired Marvel to take a closer look at how much they were spending. Newer films like Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four were all made for about a third less than earlier MCU entries.

The pandemic forced tighter safety rules and budgets, and Feige mentioned they’re even exploring whether artificial intelligence might help cut costs further, though he said he’s not sure yet.

Another thing Marvel has changed is how they test movies. They’re no longer relying only on friends-and-family screenings. Now, they’re working with outside research groups to better understand how real audiences react. Feige said, “That’s how you know when jokes work, when you’re not high on your own supply.”

Despite recent challenges, Feige seems focused on rebuilding Marvel’s momentum. He believes in trying new things and isn’t afraid to take creative risks. At the end of the day, he just wants to keep making movies people enjoy, without asking them to do too much homework first.

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