Spider-Man: 20 years of arm wrestling
1.10.2019
Translation: machine translated
Spider-Man seemed to have already left the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Sony and Disney have managed to agree on a cooperation. The fact is that the battle over the rights to the character has been going on for 20 years.
Spider-Man will still return to the Marvel fold, as US trade magazine Variety explained last Friday night. And this despite the fact that just a month earlier, Marvel owner Disney and Sony had been unable to agree on the terms of a joint continuation of the franchise.
Spider-Man seemed to have left the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but things have taken a turn for the better for fans. It has to be said that a communications disaster was on the horizon. Firstly, because "Far From Home" ended with a twist that inevitably called for a sequel. And above all because Tom Holland's Spider-Man is considered to be the best flesh-and-blood incarnation we've seen in cinema to date.
Many fans may not know it, but the tug-of-war over Spider-Man began well over 20 years ago. It's a story worth telling.
Marvel loses film rights to Spider-Man
Let's go back to the 1990s. Marvel is on the verge of bankruptcy. To avoid going under, the comic book giant was forced to sell the film rights to its most popular franchises. "Fantastic Four" and "X-Men" went back to 20th Century Fox, a studio that now belongs to Disney just like Marvel. "The Hulk" is being sold off to Universal and "Spider-Man" is going to Sony.
The theatrical successes of the franchises sold, "X-Men" and "Spider-Man" in particular, are keeping Marvel just afloat. Indeed, the comic book specialist is hardly benefiting from this influx of capital. "We sold off the majority of our business," laments Avi Arad, then CEO of Marvel Films.
The turning point came just ten years later: Marvel had returned to financial health, rebranded Marvel Films as Marvel Studios with Kevin Feige at the helm and began producing films itself. In 2008, the studio launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a second group of less popular superheroes. "Iron Man, Thor and Captain America led the way. "The Incredible Hulk" even gets a film just for him thanks to a special deal with Universal.
Disney enters the scene. In 2009, the American group bought Marvel - and therefore Marvel Studios - for the sum of 4.24 billion dollars. A straw. Released in 2012, "The Avengers" is the first film produced and distributed by Marvel Studios entirely under the Disney umbrella.
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It generated $1.518 billion.
Since then, Marvel films have earned Disney more than $18 billion. Revenues from merchandising rights are likely to be significantly higher. The then second-tier superheroes have long since supplanted the first-tier ones. Only Spider-Man, the flagship of Marvel comics, is still the subject of bitter discussions between the giant with the big ears and Sony, the rights holder.
Spider-Man tentatively returns to Marvel
After the highly successful trilogy directed by Sam Raimi, the friendly neighbourhood spider is getting his paws caught in the web, at least at the cinema.
In 2014, Sony had to admit the failure of its reboot: the two "Amazing Spider-Man" films had been massacred by critics and audiences alike. Sony is cornered. Disney is jumping at the chance: with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" in particular, Marvel Studios has raised new expectations, both artistic and financial, in the field of superhero films. Marvel now wants to integrate Spider-Man into its cinematic universe.
Sony has no choice but to agree.
A deal has been struck to breathe new life into Spider-Man on the big screen. Marvel Studios is "lending" director Kevin Feige, the brains behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to Sony to produce two films starring Spider-Man, "Homecoming" and "Far From Home", which belong in the Marvel Universe.
Sony is underwriting the production costs. Disney retains the rights to derivative products and the corresponding revenues, as well as 5% of box-office receipts. Sony retains the remaining 95% plus film rights. Spider-Man will also be able to appear in three films produced by Marvel Studios: "Civil War", "Infinity War" and "Endgame".
Spider-Man is therefore officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the end, everyone comes out a winner: in August 2019, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" becomes Sony's most profitable film of all time: it generates $1.130 billion worldwide. On the second step of the Sony podium is "James Bond: Skyfall", released in 2012 and earning $1.108 billion.
However, Disney is certain of this: Spider-Man would not have been such a success without the talent of its producer Kevin Feige. It would therefore be perfectly justified for the group to receive a larger share of the profits. Sony objected. Conflict broke out. The collaboration breaks down immediately.
Spider-Man is excluded from Marvel's cinematic universe.
A conflict that fools no one
"We're disappointed, but we respect Disney's decision," a Sony official tells US trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter in August 2019.
According to sources, Disney wants to amend the expiring contract so that in future revenues and production costs are evenly split. In addition, Disney wants to extend the contract to other Spider-Man-related characters, including Venom.
This offer doesn't sit well with Sony. For a start, the revenue from "Far From Home" far exceeds the production costs of $160 million. Disney would be the sole beneficiary of an equal split of revenues and expenses. On the other hand, "Venom", unlike "The Amazing Spider-Man", won over audiences with its 856 million dollars in box office receipts. In the absence of a compelling reason, why then hand over this hugely successful character to Disney?
Let's not forget either that Sony has just won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature with "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" proving that it was not as dependent on Disney as one might have thought. Both rivals see themselves in a position of strength. When Sony and Disney left the negotiating table and announced Spider-Man's departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most pundits knew there was only one thing on both sides' minds.
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A game of bluff.
No pundits, analysts or journalists seriously believe that profit-driven The Walt Disney Company and Sony would want to give up such a lucrative collaboration. It's no secret: "Homecoming" and "Far From Home" owe their success to the irresistible appeal of the Marvel cinematic universe and its characters. When Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Mysterio) take on the role of Spider-Man's mentors, that's what audiences want to see. It seems hard to imagine a sequel without them topping the billion-dollar box office.
Sony is aware of this.
"Homecoming": a final opus?
On 5 September 2019, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciguerra described the relationship between his company and Disney this way: "The doors are closed... for now."
Vinciguerra comes across as a tough negotiator, but there is a hint of hope. Two weeks earlier, a Sony press release suggested that negotiations had also broken down because Kevin Feige was too busy to shoot one more Spider-Man for Sony. Is Vinciguerra aware of the Star Wars dealings between Feige and LucasFilm head Kathleen Kennedy?
The pressure is mounting. Many stars express their disappointment over Spider-Man's departure. These include Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Jon Favreau - who play Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Winter Soldier and Happy Hogan respectively - and of course Tom Holland, who played Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Their disappointment is spreading to fans, who are voicing their displeasure and turning against Sony, particularly on social networks.
This plays into Disney's hands. Sony is forced to return to the negotiating table. Although Disney's original offer is modified at the last minute, the terms are still improved to the benefit of the American giant, which is awarded 25% of sales. Disney will contribute roughly the same proportion of the costs. Feige will once again be the producer, despite his Star Wars project. Disney will retain the rights to derivative products and Sony the film rights to Venom. Most importantly, Spider-Man will return in another Marvel Studios-produced film.
Some believe that Disney and Sony want to use the final two films to honour the character's departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe with dignity. It seems more likely that Sony and Disney simply wanted to buy time to agree on a new, longer-term deal.
The second "Homecoming" seems perfect for that purpose. The 20-year tug-of-war is over. For now.
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
