Clocking in at the MCU’s least expensive show so far, Agatha All Along may well herald the blueprint for a wave of cheaper Marvel TV shows.
Agatha All Along is the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe show to hit Disney+, spinning off from the narrative events set into place by 2021’s WandaVision.
The latter show was Marvel’s big, splashy entrance into the world of small screen storytelling and it pulled out all of the stops. The show’s first episode even featured a live studio audience and the budget for the Matt Shakman-helmed series came in at around $225m.
So far, only She-Hulk: Attorney At Law has cost around the same for Marvel, although it should be noted that both shows had the longest run of episodes for their respective series. Generally, most Marvel shows tend to come in at around $140-$150m per season. That’s the sweet spot that Marvel has looked to hit with projects such as Loki, Moon Knight, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel and The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.
However, since those shows have made their way through the Marvel pipeline, DIsney has engaged in a significant cost-cutting exercise and as such, even the folks over at Marvel have found themselves facing restrictions with Disney boss Bob Iger looking to slim down the output of MCU small screen entertainment.
Should Agatha All Along prove to be a success then, it could herald the new formula for MCU shows moving forwards.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show is Marvel’s cheapest to date, a claim that – if accurate – means that it would have had to come in at around $70m or less to take that crown from Echo which released late last year.
Interest in Agatha All Along seems to have been pretty high so far too, with the show picking up over 9m views in its first week on DIsney+.
Of course, maintaining those numbers is a far more important statistic but should the show manage that, it could prove to be a significant moment in Marvel’s small screen evolution. The studio will have provided Disney with a decent hit from a show featuring no major characters or huge stars.
Time will tell, but it could certainly impact the MCU shows that are said to be in development such as VisionQuest and the rumoured Wakanda-based series. We’ll bring you more on this story as we hear it.
