Can Spider-Man continue its winning streak after leaving the MCU?
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21 Aug – By having Iron Man rope in Spider-Man as part of the Avengers in the MCU, the nerdy teen superhero received a huge boost in popularity (which, to be fair, wasn't really that low to begin with) that enabled his latest solo movie to beat "Skyfall" and become the highest-grossing Sony Pictures title worldwide.
Unfortunately, fans who enjoyed watching Peter Parker assembling his high-tech Spidey suit much like Iron Man assembled his might no longer be able to relish little things like this in upcoming movies starring the web-slinger.
Deadline is reporting that Sony and Disney are parting ways due to dispute over profit sharing. The conflict has been boiling between the two for a few months and latest update brings word that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has decided to stop producing any further "Spider-Man" movies.
Disney is reportedly unhappy with the current arrangement that sees Marvel receiving approximately 5% of first dollar gross. It was seeking 50/50 co-financing arrangement with Sony for future "Spider-Man" movies but Sony is reluctant to share its biggest franchise.
The end of the Sony-Marvel deal means Spider-Man will no longer appear in the MCU as Marvel won't have the rights to use the character.
Likewise, Sony's future Spidey movies will no longer be able to feature MCU characters like Iron Man, Nick Fury and Maria Hill, like it has been doing in its recent solo outings, 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and this year's "Spider-Man: Far from Home".
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While the two movies did wonders at the box office, does this really guarantee that Sony's "Spider-Man" franchise will continue to be successful – without Marvel's backing?
Sony is confident that the recent global success of "Far from Home", which is the first "Spider-Man" movie to surpass the USD1 billion mark, means having Tom Holland onboard as the titular superhero; Jon Watts, who helmed both of the new solo movies, back as director (though he hasn't signed a deal for the third movie); and Amy Pascal returning to produce are enough to continue the success of the franchise.
However, it should be noted that part of the success is largely due to the superhero being introduced as one of the key characters in the highly successful MCU franchise. Spidey has so far appeared in five MCU movies, counting his two solo vehicles, since 2016 until this year.
Holland previously signed a contract for six movies but it seems that he has signed on for one more as it is reported that there are two more movies, with or without Marvel's backing, that Sony is planning to make.
If "Spider-Man: Far from Home" is really the last Spidey movie Marvel is involved in, the studio will be able to milk it for what its worth with the upcoming re-release in US and Canadian cinemas (other territories have yet to be announced) which will feature a newly-added four-minute action sequence.
