Spider-Man. Disney. Sony. Marvel. Those are all names and companies you’ve probably heard of before. And more recently, you’ve most likely heard all of them within the same context.
In August, it was reported that Disney and Sony split up and were no longer creating joint movies. More specifically…they were no longer partnered to make (MCU) Spider-Man movies! Sony and Disney had signed a contract in 2015 that said Disney was allowed to produce Spider-Man films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and our beloved Spidey would say hello in larger MCU films, such as this year’s Avengers: Endgame. Before Tom Holland’s Spider-Man came to be, there were two previous Sony owned Spider-Man series. Neither were affiliated with Disney’s Marvel Studios. After Disney and Sony struck a deal, they agreed to split the profit that the movies earned.
Unfortunately, the two studios could no longer agree on terms. Disney was pushing to earn more money off the franchise. Although they held the merchandising rights, they were receiving only a small portion of the revenue made by the Spider-Man franchise. Disney offered to take on some of the production costs in exchange for receiving a larger sum of money made off the films. Sony declined the offer, officially terminating their agreement. On Twitter, Sony Entertainment said, “Kevin [Feige] is terrific and we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on, which we will continue.” Feige is the head of Marvel Studios and by stating he was no longer working with them, Sony confirmed Spider-Man was no longer part of the MCU. This was big news, especially after Spider-Man: Far From Home made over one billion dollars in the box office earlier this summer. The film also ended on a cliffhanger that could have catastrophic consequences in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That horrifying cliffhanger would not be resolved anytime soon in the context of the MCU due to the Disney/Sony split.
Fans (and actors) were desperately hoping the two companies would renegotiate a new deal. For a while, it didn’t seem like that would happen, especially since Sony said “[the] door is closed” on negotiation. Still, all hope was not lost. Late in September, news broke out that Sony and Disney once again agreed on a deal and would come together to produce Spider-Man 3. Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, revealed in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel that Spider-Man actor, Tom Holland, was an integral part of Spider-Man returning to the MCU. Holland called Iger to see if there were any possibility of Spider-Man returning, and ultimately led to Iger speaking to the people at Disney and Sony to see what could be done. It then resulted in the creation of a new deal. Along with that exciting announcement, a release date was also announced! Mark your movie watching calendars, because Spider-Man 3 (version 2.0) will be released on July 16, 2021.
Needless to say, Spider-Man broke the internet (and also our hearts) for an intense, but short, period of time. But hey, Mr. Stark, we finally feel good!