Spider-Man Is Back In The MCU – Marvel And Sony Working Together Is Best For Everyone
When Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios couldn’t come to an agreement to keep Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), fans were distraught. After the web-slinger’s movies made more than $2 billion at the worldwide box office, fans couldn’t believe the two studios didn’t want to continue working together. Money seemed to be a huge factor in the decision, however, and an agreement over how the profits are to be split seem to be why the web-slinger has come back home to the MCU.
A little over a month ago, Sony and Marvel parted ways, with Sony removing Spider-Man from the MCU when it was revealed they couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract for the character’s use by Marvel. Marvel — and their parent company Disney — apparently wanted a 50/50 split on all the profits from the movies, while Sony wanted to keep to the terms of the original contract that had expired, with them receiving the majority of the box office take.
Things eventually reached a stalemate and Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra said that “for the moment, the door is closed” on creating a new contract with Marvel. Sony was prepared to make their own Spider-Man universe and take Tom Holland‘s version of the character out of the MCU.
According to Variety, the two sides have continued talking since the contract negotiations faltered and a new agreement has been reached. It was announced on Friday that the two studios will work together on a third Spider-Man film. The character will also appear in another future MCU movie.
In this new agreement, Disney and Marvel will now receive 25 percent of the profits and continue to retain all merchandising rights. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige will also stay on as the producer of the next stand-alone Spider-Man movie.
“I am thrilled that Spidey’s journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it. Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe. He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.”
Amy Pascal, who has worked on both of Disney’s Spider-Man films, will also produce the third film through Pascal Pictures. Not much is known about the third movie, but it does have a tentative release date — July 16, 2021.
After the success of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel Studios followed it up with an even more impressive Spider-Man: Far From Home. Sony Pictures had proven with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that they could create a successful Spider-Man movie of their own, but this deal currently seems to be the best option for both studios.
Both Sony and Marvel Studios have released statements that say they are happy a deal has been reached to keep Spider-Man in the MCU, and hope the partnership will continue into the future.
