Marvel’s final MCU show of 2023 is being used to test a Disney+ change, as Echo will ditch the weekly release model in favor of a binging release.
Marvel Studios is using Echo to make a major change to how Marvel Cinematic Universe shows release on Disney+. Throughout Marvel’s history of releasing shows on Disney’s streaming service, the company has followed a week-to-week release format. This has been used for every show from WandaVision to She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, giving viewers plenty of time to speculate about the show between episodes and follow along at the same speed, making it easier to avoid spoilers. It went against the binge model that Netflix helped popularize and by most indications proved to be a successful way for the MCU shows to be released.
As part of the news that confirmed the MCU’s final two 2023 shows, Marvel Studios also revealed that it will test out the binge-release model with its final series of the year. The studio confirmed that all episodes of Echo will release at once on November 29, 2023, making it the first MCU Disney+ show to change away from the week-to-week streaming release model.
Echo stars Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, the deaf assassin who debuted in Hawkeye, and is also scheduled to feature the returns of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. All six episodes of her solo series will now be released all at once as Disney+ begins testing the binge-release model.
Why Marvel Is Releasing Echo All At Once
It is not confirmed exactly why Marvel Studios is deciding to release all episodes of Echo at once. One potential answer is that it was a decision driven by the overall Disney+ schedule. The streaming service is expected to have Star Wars: Skeleton Crew release in November or December, and Disney’s preference in not having new Star Wars and MCU shows competing with each other might have become a factor in Echo‘s release strategy. The oddity is it goes against the reported MCU Phase 5 shows release strategy in some ways.
There is also the possibility that Marvel Studios believes Echo‘s story will be better received with a binge release. While the show has Daredevil and Kingpin returning, the focus will be on Maya returning to her Native American roots. It is possible that the series will have a lack of Marvel connections or slower pacing early on. In an effort to potentially get ahead of criticisms about either such element, releasing Echo‘s episodes all at once might be how Marvel Studios believes is the best way for the show to be well-received.
It remains to be seen if Echo‘s binge-release format will be a success for Marvel and Disney+. The series should be well-positioned to break Disney+ viewership records for the first week of release by having an entire season released at once. However, this also means that viewers will be more at risk of spoilers as people watch the show at different paces. One takeaway that can be made already, though, is that Echo could be the first of many MCU Disney+ shows to release this way if it is successful.
source: screenrant.com
