Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer a bulletproof box office franchise.
That’s evident after „The Marvels” grossed $47 million in its opening weekend, making it the worst debut in MCU history. Initial projections were closer to $75 million to $80 million, but those projections have shrunk dramatically in recent weeks from $60 million to $65 million. With bad buzz due to the SAG strike (which finally ended Friday) and actors like Brie Larson not being able to promote the film, „The Marvels” didn’t even match those disappointing ratings.
Only two other films in the sprawling series („The Marvels” 33rd installment over 15 years) opened under $60 million: 2008’s „The Incredible Hulk” $55.4 million and 2015’s „Ant-Man” $57.2 million, not adjusted for inflation. While the MCU is showing rare signs of wear and tear on its spandex, two other MCU adventures opening this year, February’s „Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Solace” ($106 million) and May’s „Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” ($118 million), respectively It still managed to reach triple digits in debuts.
„The Marvels” took in $63.3 million from 51 territories at the international box office for a worldwide opening of $110 million. Disney hopes to make at least $140 million worldwide over the weekend.
Audiences rejected „The Marvels,” so it will struggle to recover with „The Hunger Games” predecessor „The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” Disney’s animated „Wish” and other family-friendly films as the holiday season heats up. In the coming weeks. That’s a problem because these comic book tentpoles don’t come cheap; „The Marvels” cost $220 million to produce and roughly $100 million to promote the film to audiences around the world.
„This is an unprecedented Marvel box office slump,” said David A., who runs film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research. Cross says.
Directed by Nia DaCosta, „The Marvels,” co-starring Larson, Deonna Paris and Iman Vellani, is a sequel to 2019’s billion-dollar blockbuster „Captain Marvel.” The follow-up film didn’t come close to its predecessor’s heroic $153 million debut. However, “Captain Marvel” was released conveniently between two of the biggest movies of all time, 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which made the reunion a must-see for comic book fans.
At the time, Marvel was doing no wrong at the box office, delivering a billion-dollar behemoth with the simple snap of Thanos’ fingers. It’s always going to be difficult (or next to impossible) to top the cultural power of „Endgame,” but attendance for some of the films behind it was initially earth-shattering. This comes as Disney has introduced countless new characters in spinoffs, sequels and TV series that have graced the big and small screen. For casual viewers and Marvel devotees alike, it is A lot To be continued.
“Since Pandemic, superhero films have borne the brunt of streaming, fantasy and bad movies at the same time. [and] concentration on TV,” Gross adds.
Does this mean superhero fatigue has hit society once and for all? Unnecessary. But the disastrous turnout for „The Marvels” could force a reckoning at Disney, so audiences aren’t ready to see any superhero movie on the big screen. Earlier this week, Disney delayed the next four MCU installments, „Deadpool 3,” „Captain America: A Brave New World,” „Thunderbolts” and „Blade” (due to strike-related production delays). Strategize Earth’s Mightiest Heroes before they return to the multiplex.
„The Marvels” is the only new nationwide release this weekend, so several holdovers have rounded out the box office charts. „Five Nights at Freddy’s” dropped to second place in its third weekend with $9 million from 3,694 theaters. Universal and Blumhouse’s terrifying video game adaptation has grossed a frighteningly good $127 million to date.
In third place, Taylor Swift’s „The Eras Tour” added another $5.9 million from 2,484 locations in its fifth weekend. The concert film, produced by Swift and distributed by AMC Theaters, grossed $172.5 million in North America and $240.9 million worldwide. At the domestic box office, „The Era’s Tour” has surpassed such tentpoles as „Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” ($172 million) and „Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” ($157 million). It will soon overtake „Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” ($174 million) as the year’s 11th biggest film.
Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley biopic “Priscilla” was fourth with $4.79 million from 2,361 theaters, a 10% drop from the previous weekend. It’s an impressive haul for the A24 film, which has earned $12.7 million so far. Awards season promises to take a much different lens than Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 kaleidoscopic biopic „Elvis,” which continues to unfold in the fall.
Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” was No. 5 in its fourth frame with $4.6 million from 3,357 locations. Ticket sales for the $200 million crime epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro were also strong, with a 34% drop. It has grossed $59.9 million domestically so far. Judging whether the decision was successful or terrible for such an expensive film is complicated because Apple, which backs a big-budget tentpole and puts Paramount in theaters, doesn’t have the same metrics of success compared to traditional Hollywood players. . It focused on awards season and added Apple TV+ subscribers to help justify the price tag.
A lot more to come…