Marvel Studios, known for its record-breaking output in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), has reportedly decided to set a limit on its MCU releases in any given year. According to a new report, this move is an effort to reduce costs and improve the overall quality of the franchise.

New Output Limit

In a recent episode of The Hot Mic podcast, Above the Line’s Jeff Snieder revealed that Marvel Studios has reduced its target output to “two shows and three movies a year,” down from the previous target of “four shows and four movies a year.” This will require some shuffling of the current Marvel Studios schedule, as three of the next four years (2024, 2025, and 2026) currently have four Marvel movies scheduled to release.

Kevin Feige’s Take

Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige recently spoke about the output of the studio, emphasizing the need to “hit the zeitgeist” with each MCU project. He also noted that it is harder to achieve this when there is too much content out there. Thus, a more conservative release schedule could lead to a better chance of success for each MCU project.

Back To What Works

The recent “saturate the market” approach may have cheapened the MCU product. Fans never had the chance to miss the series, and the creatives never had the time needed to execute projects the way they wanted to. Thus, a slower drip feed of content could be what is best for the MCU going forward.

This move is not new to Marvel Studios, as during Phases 2 and 3, the studio released around three movies a year. This new plan would see Marvel Studios releasing movies three times a year, hitting the February, May, and November marks that they seem to favor. The July dates on the current Marvel Studios slate would be eliminated.

The financial state of the world has led Marvel Studios to pull back on its output, but the move could be beneficial for the franchise. A more conservative release schedule could help Marvel Studios create better quality content and allow creatives more time to execute their projects.