The Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated sequel, The Marvels, opened this weekend with a disappointing $47 million at the domestic box office, making it the lowest weekend opening for any Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie. This includes all three phases and 26 movies that have come before, which had consistently seen strong box office numbers and record-breaking openings.
The Marvels, which stars Brie Larson reprising her role as Captain Marvel, had been hotly anticipated by fans and analysts alike. However, despite a last-minute push by Larson on The Tonight Show and at a theater in NYC following a recent actors’ strike, the film failed to meet expectations. Analysts had been forecasting an opening weekend of $140 million, but The Marvels fell far short with just $47 million.
The disappointment has prompted many to question what went wrong with the film’s release. Some have suggested that the post-pandemic trend of “superhero fatigue” could be to blame, pointing to the underperforming five superhero movies of 2021 (Flash, Eternals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania).
However, others argue that the failure of The Marvels is not simply due to superhero fatigue. They point out that other recent superhero movies, such as Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, have performed exceptionally well at the box office, with the former grossing over a billion dollars worldwide.
So, what caused The Marvels to fall flat? Many have suggested that Disney’s overexposure of the MCU brand on its streaming service, Disney+, may have played a key role. The studio’s plan to crossover the streaming series and films has not been well-received by fans, and the lackluster performance of Ms. Marvel, one of the key series leading into The Marvels, may have turned off potential viewers.
Additionally, many have criticized the tone of The Marvels, suggesting that the film takes a 180-degree turn from the more serious, heroic roots of the original Captain Marvel, and instead, becomes a lighthearted and silly comedy. This is a major departure from the expectations and desires of many fans, and it has led to a significant amount of disappointment among viewers.
Furthermore, the ongoing actors’ strike has also been cited as a contributing factor to the film’s underperformance. Due to the strike, stars are not allowed to promote their struck work, severely limiting the marketing efforts for The Marvels.
Despite all these challenges, it is clear that The Marvels’ failure at the box office cannot be attributed to just one factor. Rather, it is the culmination of multiple issues that have led to the film’s disappointing opening weekend. However, with Disney’s schedule now cleared for the next several years, there is hope that the studio will be able to put more focus and effort into creating better quality movies for the MCU, and potentially regain the strong box office success they have been known for.