For three consecutive years, Eternals from director Chloe Zhao.
Marvel's restrained release schedule will have a ripple effect on the industry in a number of fronts. For one thing, this makes 2020 the most low-key year Marvel Studios has had in a number of years. For only the second time since 2014, the annual slate of Marvel Studios won't include a sequel to a movie that's grossed over $300 million domestically. The fact that one of these films stars Black Widow, who's been on the forefront of all four Avengers movies, ensures Marvel's entire 2020 slate isn't resting on unknowns. Still, it is an interesting development for a studio that's grown accustomed to having an annual slate built upon highly-anticipated sequels.
Meanwhile, for Disney as a whole, Marvel's 2020 slate fits into no Star Wars titles for the first time since 2014 and, on top of everything else, one less Marvel movie than usual. Though Disney is overall far from bereft of likely box office hits next year, Marvel Studios only managing two titles for 2020 does ensure that their 2020 will be one of the studios' quietest years at the box office in recent memory.
The lack of an extra Marvel Cinematic Universe title at the domestic box office will affect the yearly box office in a sharp manner. Over the last three years, the MCU has generated over $1 billion domestically each individual year. Though there's plenty of anticipation surrounding Marvel's 2020 output, based on the highest-grossing MCU films, it would require extreme over-performance from both The Eternals and Black Widow to crack $1+ billion domestically again. Given how the domestic box office has become reliant on a small pile of tentpoles to generate much of its revenue in the last decade, the absence of an extra Marvel Cinematic Universe title will certainly be felt at the domestic box office next year.
Luckily for the box office, 2021 will see the Marvel Cinematic Universe not just return to a more robust annual output, it'll also increase its annual slate of titles to four movies a year for the first time in history. That'll aid both Disney and the overall domestic box office mightily — all both entities have to do is get through a more muted 2020. In the meantime, Disney and Marvel both can use their more open 2020 to ensure that the pair of non-sequel titles Marvel Studios is making get proper marketing launches, while also making sure the first Marvel Studios TV shows on Disney+, such as the highly-anticipated WandaVision, receive proper launches. Even with only two theatrical films coming out in 2020, there's still plenty of Marvel Cinematic Universe storytelling on the way in 2020.
