MOVIE NEWS – A former lawyer for Marvel Studios says the ongoing Spider-Man deal between Sony and Marvel should last for the long haul.

 

 

A former Marvel Studios lawyer has reassured fans that the relationship between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios will continue uninterrupted. Tom Holland recently wrapped up the Spider-Man trilogy with the epic climax film Spider-Man: No Way Home. But Holland’s story will continue, with Spider-Man 4 confirmed by Kevin Feige.

Their relationship hasn’t always been so stable: Sony almost cut Holland off from the Marvel Universe after the massive success of Spider-Man: Alien.

The two companies originally agreed in 2015, but during the first two films, the Japanese side felt that the financial deal was not fair compensation for using the character. Eventually, in 2019, the pair agreed that Holland would become even more involved in the MCU with a new trilogy of films and team-up movies within the universe.

Thankfully, a former Marvel Studios lawyer assures fans that such a hassle won’t happen again. No Way Home made $1.9 billion at the box office on a relatively small budget of $200 million. It was the first major blockbuster of the pandemic era, bringing audiences back to the cinema with sold-out screenings. The deal between the two companies was simply too lucrative to back out, and given the colossal failure of Morbius, it was probably the right decision for the studio.

 

Spider-Man is mutually beneficial for both companies

 

In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, attorney Paul Sarker shared his thoughts on the deal between Sony and Marvel and its long-term implications. Read the full quote from Sarker below:

“Creatively, I think it’s a win-win. Sony gets the benefit of Kevin [Feige] and his amazingly talented team in making their movies. Marvel gets to use Spider-Man, who is one of the most prominent characters in the MCU, in its films. I think the fans ultimately win, because seeing Spider-Man in Civil War, in Endgame and Infinity War is super-cool. And also seeing Doctor Strange or Iron Man in Spider-Man films is also very thrilling.”

“I haven’t worked at Marvel for the past couple of years, but it makes sense.”

“The importance of Spider-Man to Sony as a movie studio can’t be overstated, right? Because Sony doesn’t have the box office draws that Marvel has, so the fact Sony was able to retain the rights to make Spider-Man movies and also get Kevin [Feige]’s input and his DNA in the movie is a huge win for them.

I think the only other option would’ve been Disney buying back the rights, and who knows how expensive that would’ve been, but long-term that wouldn’t have been a great move for Sony. This helps Sony keep their studio relevant in the comic movie conversation, and it gives Marvel one of its best characters.”

“So I think it’s a win-win. In my own opinion, if Sony didn’t do the deal but continued with its productive approach without Marvel’s input, I don’t think that’s a good result for them. At the same time, if Marvel doesn’t get to have Spider-Man in its films, that’s not great either. Both sides get something important out of this.”

Sony is behind projects such as the Venom films, which have been torn apart by critics and received mixed reactions from audiences. Earlier this year, the Japanese company unveiled Morbius, widely regarded as one of the worst comic book movies of all time, and thanks to a trendy internet campaign, it managed to become a huge flop despite being re-released in cinemas. The partnership with Marvel and the careful storytelling is an advantage for the company, as this seems to be the weakest aspect of their films.

Source: ScreenRant