Disney+ Releases 12th Marvel Film

Disney+ has recently expanded its library of Marvel movies with the addition of Madame Web, one of the most criticized entries in the Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. This film, which originally premiered in February 2024 and received a dismal 10% on Rotten Tomatoes, struggled commercially as well, earning only $100.5 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $80-100 million. Despite being a critical disaster, Madame Web was one of Netflix’s most-watched properties and has now found its new home on Disney+.

Other Marvel movies that have faced similar challenges have also made their way to Disney+. Morbius, the 2022 film starring Jared Leto, The Marvels, the 2023 sequel starring Brie Larson, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, released in 2023, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts, which all received mixed critical and commercial responses, are now available to stream on Disney+. These movies, despite their underwhelming performances, are finding a second life on the streaming platform, where their notoriety often attracts curious viewers.

Eternals, the 2021 ensemble film directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao, was a departure from the established MCU formula and faced a mixed critical response. With a commercial return of $402 million worldwide, the film fell short of expectations and highlighted creative turbulence within the MCU.

Finally, the 2015 Fantastic Four film and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, intended as the grand finale of the main Fox X-Men saga, also struggled critically and commercially, leading to the end of their respective franchises. Despite their challenges, these Marvel movies are now part of the extensive collection available for streaming on Disney+.