The reason the MCU worked is simultaneously remarkably complex and deceptively simple. Disney captured a third of the domestic box office in 2019, and just two Marvel movies accounted for a third of Disney’s take that year. Since 2008’s Iron Man, the 33 films have grossed nearly $30 billion worldwide altogether (if you count Sony’s Spider-Man films) 10 individual entries have grossed at least a billion dollars and, with only two exceptions, the films have all notched “fresh” ratings from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. In the single greatest act of production prowess since the decline of the studio system, Kevin Feige created an unprecedented critical and commercial franchise monster. Reading Stewart’s book earlier this year, I couldn’t help but think of the mess Disney has found itself in with its once-invulnerable Marvel Cinematic Universe. As anyone who remembers TV at the time will tell you, this was a disastrous decision: the golden goose was gutted, development funds were diverted from pilots because ABC planned on Millionaire eating up a ton of broadcast hours, audiences fled to sexier fare like CBS’s Survivor and CSI (both of which Disney had a chance to develop and passed on), and by 2002, the primetime iteration of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? had been canceled. And, in retrospect, correct to be concerned. We’re going to run ‘Millionaire’ three nights a week.” ABC officials agreed with Davies and Smith, presenting Bob Iger, then ABC’s chairman, with a plan to keep Millionaire ’s event status secure. “Both Michael Davies and Paul Smith had always felt that ‘stunting’-running the show on consecutive nights at infrequent intervals-was essential to build suspense, maintain viewer curiosity, and keep ‘Millionaire’ an ‘event,’” James B. The success was driven in large part by the show’s status as an event. Then, from across the pond, came an unlikely hit: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? It was the highest-rated program of the summer of 1999 and the highest-rated show for the 1999–2000 season, playing a key role in ABC’s November sweeps strategy. In the late 1990s, Disney-owned ABC was in a rut.
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