As someone who’s spent countless hours binge-watching shows and analyzing their production costs, I can’t help but feel a sense of relief reading this article. It seems that even the mighty Marvel Studios is learning to adapt, much like a mutant learning to control their powers in the MCU.
In early 2021, “WandaVision,” the first TV series produced for Disney+ by Marvel, became the most notable television event. It connected directly with events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe while deviating from the typical superhero format using an innovative narrative design that paid homage to classic TV shows. This unconventional approach led to significant critical and commercial acclaim, so it was expected when Disney later announced that Kathryn Hahn would reprise her role as Agatha Harkness in a spinoff series with limited episodes. After several years of development, “Agatha All Along” debuted in September, featuring popular stars like Aubrey Plaza and Joe Locke from “Heartstopper,” along with familiar veterans such as Patti LuPone and Debra Jo Rupp. Given the anticipation following the success of “WandaVision,” this show ran for nine episodes and has now concluded. The performance was complex, reflecting the current state of Marvel’s TV business.
We’re still waiting to get a full understanding of its Nielsen performance over the next few weeks, but initial indications show that the series “Agatha” had a robust debut when it was released on September 18. The program quickly appeared in Nielsen’s top ten most-streamed original shows for its first two weeks, reaching number 11 in week three. In terms of viewership during its premiere week, “Agatha” matched the numbers achieved by “WandaVision” at launch. However, it’s challenging to make direct comparisons due to differences in run times and release dates, as both shows premiered with two episodes. According to Disney+’s internal data, the first episode of “Agatha” garnered around 9.3 million global views during its initial seven days on the platform, which is not far from the 11 million views each episode of “Loki” season two averaged during its first full week in November 2023. On Friday, Disney+ announced that within a day of premiering, the finale attracted 4.6 million viewers for episode eight and 3.9 million viewers for episode nine – these figures represent a 48% increase and a 26% rise, respectively, compared to the average number of viewers during the premiere.
The final figures could be crucial in determining the overall effectiveness of Agatha’s performance. While Marvel’s reputation attracts a substantial audience to nearly any production, particularly spin-offs, what truly matters is whether viewers continue to watch the series beyond its premiere week and if positive word-of-mouth encourages significant binge-watching in the subsequent weeks after the finale. As a TV analyst for The Ankler, writing under the pseudonym Entertainment Strategy Guy, points out, while WandaVision’s initial episode was successful on Disney+, its status as a hit wasn’t confirmed until later in its run. He explains that the series gained audience members week by week, culminating in 15 million hours watched for the finale and remaining on the charts for ten weeks. Remarkably, it still ranks as Marvel’s second-best freshman season, trailing only Loki, in terms of total viewing hours. “For a half-hour show,” he concludes, “that’s why it’s considered a robust performer.
To this point, it doesn’t seem like Agatha is experiencing the same Nielsen boost as WandaVision, but its audience hasn’t plummeted either. In fact, the ratings for Agatha remained consistent during its second and third weeks. A Marvel insider shared with Vulture that since the two-episode premiere, the number of subscribers who returned each week to watch the latest episode has been particularly robust – one of the highest we’ve ever seen according to them, a claim backed by the impressive finale numbers. Additionally, this Marvel source suggested that some viewers may have delayed watching Agatha until all episodes were available on Halloween eve, effectively turning the series into a binge for the spooky season. We’ll have a clearer picture once Nielsen data for the finale episodes is released, likely in early December; however, the one-day data Disney shared last week offers some promising signs.
While it’s true that Agatha managed to garner a decent level of audience interest as indicated by viewership statistics, these figures alone don’t fully reflect the show’s overall success. This is especially true when weighed against shows like WandaVision, which were launched in 2021 and 2022 within Marvel’s transition phase.
The change could initially reduce the appeal or excitement around Marvel’s TV series, as there won’t be an immediate need to watch them promptly due to avoiding spoilers or clues about upcoming movies: Watching Agatha straight away won’t leave you at a disadvantage if you miss its debut, as it won’t impact your understanding of future films. However, in the long run, separating the TV shows from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), while still relying on popular characters from the larger Marvel library, could potentially attract a broader audience beyond dedicated fans.
In addition to its innovative storytelling, “Agatha” signifies a change in Marvel’s approach to producing their TV series. Earlier Disney+ Marvel shows mimicked the studio’s film production process, with internal producers taking control. However, as Robinson points out, this method was more of a struggle than anticipated, with a continuous tug-of-war between the head writer, director, and lead producer. This arrangement also impacted the quality control of Marvel TV productions, as the team responsible for numerous films at the start of the 2020s were simultaneously handling three or four TV series a year. Shows like “Secret Invasion,” which Robinson refers to as a “complete disaster,” suffered from negative feedback and lower ratings.
In a shift from its previous strategy, Marvel’s current focus on television production appears to be more about creating traditional TV shows rather than breaking them down into episodes of feature films. This is evident in series like “Agatha,” which carries the “Marvel Television” banner instead of just “Marvel.” These productions now have dedicated showrunners, such as Jac Schaeffer, who oversee both the writing and overall production – a common structure for most TV shows. Additionally, starting with “Daredevil: Born Again” in March, Marvel seems to be returning to its multi-season, long-form storytelling approach, reminiscent of its Netflix era with series like “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” and the original “Daredevil.” Kevin Feige, Marvel’s current overlord, was not part of that earlier phase of TV production.
According to Entertainment Strategy Guy, also known as the Pundit, it’s reasonable that this strategy is effective for Disney’s non-Marvel series, given the success of subsequent seasons of “The Mandalorian” and “Loki” season two. He points out that these shows have outperformed many other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Star Wars originals on Disney+. This pattern, he notes, is consistent with television history, as traditional TV was structured around creating multiple shows to keep viewers engaged with their favorites, rather than relying on one-off or limited series.
One way to rephrase the given text in a more natural and easy-to-read manner is: While Marvel aims for high viewership numbers across its shows, cost efficiency is equally crucial for their TV productions. During the time when WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier were commissioned, we were in an era of Peak Marvel and Peak TV. Streaming services appeared to have infinite budgets, with the goal being to spend whatever was necessary to attract consumers to new platforms like Disney+. However, almost five years since D+ launched, streaming services are intensely concentrating on reducing costs and producing only as much television as required to prevent existing subscribers from canceling their subscriptions. Instead of creating TV shows that cost as much or more than big-budget films, these services are seeking cost-effective shows that yield returns year after year. Rather than boasting about content slates filled with expensive blockbusters, executives are now openly discussing how little they’re actually spending.
In the previous month, Marvel Television’s Winderbaum shared with Variety that Agatha is Marvel’s most economical show on Disney+. He emphasized their aim to create these shows at a reasonable cost, pointing out that Agatha minimized expensive computer-generated special effects in favor of more affordable practical ones. Winderbaum didn’t disclose the exact budget for Agatha, but Variety mentioned that Marvel invested approximately $40 million for its five-episode limited series Echo, which equates to around $8 million per episode. This is roughly one-third of the reported per-episode costs for shows like WandaVision or Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Even if Marvel cuts its TV production costs in half, the reduced expenses could still yield a profitable outcome for Agatha. If its total viewership reaches two-thirds that of WandaVision’s, but at half or one-third the cost, Disney would consider it a success. As proven by the popularity of shows like Squid Game on Netflix and Baby Reindeer, some of TV’s biggest hits are those produced on modest budgets.
What this isn’t suggesting is that Marvel (or Disney+) are planning to structure their upcoming TV lineups like what you’d find on traditional network or cable TV from 20 years ago. Despite the relatively low budget of shows like “Agatha,” it’s clear that it wasn’t made shoddily. However, the studio and its streaming service sibling have come to understand that a thriving long-term series business requires letting go of some of the excessive enthusiasm that characterized Disney’s Peak TV programming approach. So far, this has led them to explore various types of projects, ranging from broad shows like “Daredevil” to more specialized concepts such as “Agatha” or “Echo,” and gauging audience reactions accordingly.
Additionally, this implies reducing the number of productions (shows and movies) annually, not only to cut costs but also to ensure top-notch quality. As Robinson points out, a key aspect of Marvel’s success during the height of the MCU was that almost every film was well-made, with some even being exceptional. “The worst you’d ever get was like a B+,” she says. “However, this wasn’t the case for their TV shows or post-Endgame movies.” Producing only two (or occasionally three) live-action series per year should lower the chance of producing a flop; keeping costs in check minimizes the financial risk if one fails despite precautions.
This discussion leads us back to the question of how well Agatha is doing and what we should make of its performance. At first, the excitement for the show didn’t reach the heights of WandaVision, and its early ratings did not escalate as swiftly as those of its predecessor. However, critical reviews were positive, and online conversation about the series picked up significantly towards the end of its run – especially in relation to its final three episodes which unveiled numerous surprises concerning the main character and her teenage sidekick (performed by Locke). Our Marvel insider reveals that Agatha has attracted more female and young adult viewers than other recent live-action Marvel series. As previously mentioned, its lower production cost means that Agatha could potentially prove to be a more financially efficient choice compared to other titles that drew larger audiences but incurred substantial expenses.
Typically, Disney would indicate the success of Agatha by commissioning another season or creating a spinoff. However, since Marvel has categorized the show as a limited series and it’s part of a planned trilogy, it seems unlikely that there will be more episodes (although there’s still a chance, as demonstrated recently with the unexpected renewal of Shōgun). Instead, it could be more accurate to view Agatha as an experiment Marvel TV is conducting. As Robinson suggests, “Marvel might be attempting to determine which approach offers them a better chance at success — shows that appeal to the die-hard Marvel fans, or shows with broader appeal. I don’t believe they have a clear answer yet.
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2024-11-05 01:54