For many years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU) had two constants: good reviews (both from specialists and moviegoers) and success at the box office. There was a time where almost every film in the franchise became a cinematic event and endangered its competition at the box office. Today things have changed. Marvel is facing a severe creative crisis that has already affected monetary results; It is no longer the danger, it is in danger. And as an example, the chilling results at the box office of The Marvels.
The 33rd MCU film had a difficult road from the start of pre-sales. All projections pointed to a complicated premiere. Some media outlets indicated that the film could open with more than $70 million dollars (MDD) in the United States and Canada alone. But the blow of reality was even more shocking. Despite being present on more than 4 thousand screens and with premium formats available, The Marvels It grossed just $47 million in its first weekend, well below the expectations of the entire industry.
Although many films would kill for a debut of that magnitude, the truth is that, for the MCU, this is its first major failure. Of course, movies like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Incredible Hulk, Eternals and Black Widow They were also disappointing with their results. But The Marvels will cause the studio led by Kevin Feige to lose several tens (or even hundreds) of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, this weekend was filled with many records for Marvel… and all of them negative.
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The Marvels It is one of the few sequels that, from one film to another, has lost more than $100 million in its premiere alone. Captain Marvel (2019) debuted with more than $150 million. And this drop, in recent years, has only been replicated by The Suicide Squad (2021), although that film premiered at the same time on HBO Max. Oh, The Marvels Not only is it the worst premiere in the history of the MCU. It also fell behind other flops/disappointments like Indiana Jones and the Doom Dial, Mission: Impossible, Deadly Sentence Part One, Fast and Furious 10 either Black Adam. Even Flash It opened with better results ($55 million) than the film starring Brie Larson.
Although some fans of The Marvels They hope that the feature film will regain strength and continue the successful trajectory of Items (low drops week by week), the possibility is practically nil. Some claim that the lack of promotion of its cast (due to the actors’ strike) was responsible for the low box office. However, other films in recent months (The Vigilante 3, The Nun 2, The Meg 2, Five Nights at Freddy’s) have had solid collections thanks to the importance of their brands. And no brand is (or was) as powerful as the MCU. Simply, The casual public had no interest in seeing a new adventure of the heroine.
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On the other hand, those who did see it were not delighted. In CinemaScore she got a “B”, the MCU’s lowest grade, which she now shares with Eternals and the already mentioned Quantumania. Basically, the general public gives it a mediocre rating and that, historically, does not translate into a good run. Considering the reception around it, a final between $95 and 110 million (only in North America) looks like the best scenario. If fulfilled, it would fall far short of what was collected by its predecessor… in its first three days.
Outside the domestic territory, there was not a single ray of hope. The 51 international markets where it opened contributed only $63.3 million, less than Flash, Black Adam, Black Widow, Eternals and Quantumania, to mention a few examples. In the end, The global debut amounts to a disastrous $110.3 million, a figure that even the Marvel premieres in the pandemic surpassed.
China ($11.8 million and with terrible word of mouth), the United Kingdom ($4.3 million), Indonesia ($3.7 million), South Korea and France ($3.1 million) were its best territories internationally. The case of Mexico is striking, which is usually among the best Hollywood film markets, and on this occasion it does not appear in the top 5. Its debut in the country, for $52 million pesos (MDP), is a complete disaster if we compare it with that of its predecessor ($245 MDP). Basically, it grossed just over a fifth, with a drop rarely seen for a sequel, and lower numbers than practically the entire MCU. It is closer to Blue Beetle than any other Marvel superhero.
Apparently, the strategy for The Marvels it didn’t work. Originally, Nia DaCosta’s film would hit theaters last July. But the reshoots and increased visual effects work caused it to be delayed to the second weekend in November. In that same period, but from 2022, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever achieved a global debut above $300 million. Today it is practically a fact that the trio made up of Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau and Ms. Marvel will not reach that figure even at the end of its exhibition around the world.
At this point, everything indicates that the trio of heroines will have to settle for a final box office between $250 and 275 million, on par with the already mentioned Flash. Regardless of whether he overcomes it or not, it is a clearly terrifying result for Kevin Feige and the MCU. The Marvels It would hold the record of being the sequel with the biggest drop compared to its previous installment (just over $850 million).
Did you see the movie during its premiere? Do you think that the lack of promotion on the part of its protagonists had to do with their low numbers or is simply “superhero film fatigue” real?
Juan Jose Cruz I am one of those who always defended Robert Pattinson as Batman and can see the same movie in the cinema up to 7 times. My guilty taste? Low-budget horror films.