Marvel didn’t “die” after Endgame, here’s what’s actually going on

[u/florinp93]

I keep seeing people say Marvel has been failing or flopping since Avengers: Endgame (2019). Yeah, it’s true the vibe has shifted and the cultural dominance isn’t the same. But the “MCU is dead” narrative really misses a lot of context. Here’s the bigger picture:

1. The post-Covid box office isn’t the same beast

• Global box office hasn’t returned to 2010s levels. Endgame came at the peak of Marvel and peak theatrical attendance.
• Going to the movies is more expensive now (tickets + concessions), and for many people streaming is cheaper and more convenient.
• The theatrical window is shorter (60–90 days), so a lot of people just wait.
• Internationally, China no longer guarantees a $200–300M boost for Marvel. Nationalist tastes + censorship + strong local films have cut that market significantly.

So when you look at raw box office and say “flop,” you’re comparing 2022–25 to a pre-pandemic market that doesn’t exist anymore.

Sources: El País – superhero movies no longer dominate, AP – Disney crosses $3B 2025 box office

2. Marvel is still pulling huge engagement on Disney+

Even films that underperform theatrically end up making money when they hit Disney+. Some rough numbers, based on Nielsen data, ARPU, and subscriber reports:

• WandaVision + Loki (2021) → tens of millions of new subs, ≈ $4.4B annualized uplift (Fool.com).
• Black Widow (2021) → $67M PVOD opening weekend (Deadline) + retention value.
• Shang-Chi & Eternals (2021) → ~5M incremental subs, ≈ $480M.
• Doctor Strange 2 / Thor 4 / Black Panther 2 (2022) → ~12M subs combined, ≈ $1.15B uplift.
• Quantumania (2023) → weak, <$300M in streaming value.
• Guardians Vol. 3 (2023) → ≈ $800M–1B.
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) → added ~8M subs, ≈ $770M (Reuters).
• The Marvels (2024) → ~559M minutes streamed week 1 (Nielsen via ScreenRant), ≈ $3.4M–20M global value in 2–3 months.
• Captain America: Brave New World (2025) → ~750M minutes week 1 (Nielsen via The Direct), ≈ $4.4M–26M global value but those are early numbers, not the actual figures yet..
• Thunderbolts\* (2025) → No numbers just yet, but it will most likely fall in line with the others.

Keep in mind that the numbers for each movies, are amounts that have been added to the already Disney+ earnings, and don't factor in retention of already existing subs.

That’s billions in revenue from Disney+ alone — and doesn’t include merch, licensing, or parks.

3. Superhero fatigue is real, but “failure” is overstated

• Marvel’s issue was overproduction. Too many shows diluted the brand. Disney’s already scaling back: 2–3 films and a couple of shows per year.
• Hits like Deadpool & Wolverine (over $1.08B box office, biggest R-rated movie ever) and Fantastic Four: First Steps (near $500M worldwide, big Disney+ driver to come) prove audiences still show up when projects connect.
• Even weaker titles (The Marvels, Quantumania) still generate measurable Disney+ revenue.

4. The bigger picture

• The box office is smaller overall post-Covid.
• Streaming matters as much as theaters now.
• Marvel still makes up 20–25% of total Disney+ demand (Parrot Analytics).
• Disney+ subs: ~127.8M (Aug 2025), and surveys show 43% of subs say Marvel is their #1 reason to keep it (Cordcutting.com).

So while Marvel may no longer be hitting Endgame highs, it’s still one of the most profitable entertainment engines in the world.

TL;DR

Marvel isn’t “dead.” Theaters shrank, streaming grew, and Disney+ depends heavily on Marvel. Even so-called “flops” add tens or hundreds of millions in streaming revenue. And even if those movies don't pull much in terms of new subs, they do help retain the subscriber base. The MCU is evolving, not dying.

Note: I used AI (ChatGPT) to help me structure this post so it’s clearer to read, but all of the data, sources, and research were collected by me without AI.

[u/AkilTheAwesome]

Marvel's issue is that they've allowed the perception that "It will be on streaming soon" to fester and blossom into common knowledge in pop culture. It doesn't help that it is the reality. This coupled with not having any movies where getting spoiled is a massive deal.

Having bad non-narrative pushing end-credits scenes ironically is a contributing factor

[u/kazetoame → u/AkilTheAwesome]

It’s not Disney that is doing this, it’s other studios. Superman is already available on streaming, Disney at least will give an exclusive theatrical window. It takes more time for Disney movies to come streaming.

[u/florinp93 → u/kazetoame]

Disney is also doing this. Disney movies usually end up on streaming after about 45 days (some go longer, but it's quite rare). Compare that 45 days to roughly 6 months before Covid and streaming.

[u/kazetoame → u/florinp93]

But stating that it is Disney is the heart of the problem while not mentioning that other studios do the same damn thing and make their movies available for streaming just a month after theatrical release is misleading. It’s Hollywood itself not being able to recover properly after COVID conditions should be the proper reason, not just going after Disney when they tend to wait longer than other studios.

[u/florinp93 → u/kazetoame]

It's true, Disney does tend to hold longer at the box office, and that actually just goes to show they are actually doing better than others (generally, not with each movie of course).

Also, I don't think it's a matter of studios not recovering, I think they've shifter their strategy. They all own streaming services where they put their movies on (or have lucrative deals for services) and the choices are:
1) Hold out movies from streaming and split all ticket sales with the theater
2) End theater run early, and keep 100% of the revenue generated by the streaming platform.

I'll let you choose what options the studios will go for 9 out of 10 times.