Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels” topped the box office in its opening weekend, but with the worst debut in MCU history with only $47 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.
The Details
Originally projected to earn between $75-$80 million in its opening weekend, “The Marvels” release was pushed several times, and also faced not being able to have its stars promote the film due to the actor’s strike which didn’t end until opening day.
The film also likely suffered from what’s being called “superhero fatigue” with so many projects being released between theaters and TV. Toxic “fans” downvoting the film before they even had a chance to see it didn’t help either.
However, fellow critics who have seen the film have enjoyed it, and I’ll be forming my own opinion next weekend when I see it.
“The Marvels” also brought in $63.3M from the international box office in 51 markets, bringing the global total for opening weekend to $110.3 million, which is decent, but nowhere near the $153.4 million domestic that “Captain Marvel” earned in 2019, when it was released between “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
It should be noted that in addition to coming in at #1 for the weekend, “The Marvels” also scored the best opening for a movie by a Black female director (Nia DaCoasta).
The Future of the MCU
Marvel Studios will have a bit of time to restructure its upcoming films and the release volume.
It has already postponed the next four MCU films: “Deadpool 3,” “Captain America: A Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” and “Blade.” The next Marvel film won’t be released until next summer, skipping the spring release window entirely, so far.
As for the series on Disney+, “Loki” just wrapped its second season by transforming the God of Mischief into the God of Stories, responsible for all the MCU timelines.
But the next series, “Echo,” is being released under a new banner, “Marvel Spotlight,” which will signify characters and shows that don’t necessarily tie into the main Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Did you see “The Marvels” this weekend? If you did, let us know what you thought of it.