- The Marvels is projected to have the worst Marvel opening since 2008.
- Recent Marvel titles have underperformed, causing a rift between the studio and its audience.
- Changes in future strategies are needed given the poor performance of some MCU films and series.
Things are not looking good for The Marvels. While 2019’s Captain Marvel was a box office success, its sequel seems to be faring much worse than originally projected. The sequel features Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers joining forces with two other MCU characters in a story set in the present day. Directed by Nia DaCosta, The Marvels follows the heroes as they complete missions across the galaxy, hoping to restore order by defeating a powerful, unknown villain.
Originally projected to have a domestic opening weekend of around $60 million, the latest figures (as per Deadline) suggest the film will struggle to reach $50 million after taking just $23.1 million on its opening day. If these numbers hold, it would make it the worst Marvel opening since the inception of the franchise in 2008. The Incredible Hulk from 2008 and 2015’s Ant-Man currently hold the lower spots in Marvel openings with $55.4 million and $57.2 million, respectively.
The Marvels is the last major release from Marvel Studios for the year, and until Deadpool 3 next summer. After the underwhelming performance of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the huge success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels seems set to be another disappointment for the franchise.
Although Marvel Studios has seen success with some movies and series such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Loki, there has been a significant drop in performance and popularity for many of their recent titles. This has led to a rift between the studio and its audience. Most notably, drops in box office numbers have been evident since Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania only reaching $104 million in its opening weekend. If The Marvels falls short of the $100 million barrier, which is what the projections show, it would be a clear indicator that the crisis in the MCU is real.
Marvel Studios is aware of this issue and has announced changes to their strategies moving forward, particularly affecting television productions. For example, the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again series will be completely rewritten.