The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Marvels, continues the story established in Captain Marvel and the Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel. However, it now looks like The Marvels had the lowest opening for the cinematic franchise.
The Marvels debuted with a disappointing $47 million domestically, making it the lowest-grossing opening weekend for an MCU movie to date. This figure is significantly lower than the first Ant-Man film, which earned $57.2 million in 2015, and even The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton, which brought in $55.4 million in 2008.
As shared via Deadline, Marvel Studios did attempt a “last-minute push for The Marvels with an appearance by star Brie Larson on The Tonight Show and at a theater in NYC post-actors strike,” their attempts didn’t seem to work. The film received mediocre reviews as well and Deadline notes that the movie is said to be “a disastrous result for a $200M Marvel Studios movie.”
There are a number of theories regarding why The Marvels isn’t doing so hot at the box office. While some believe there may be a superhero fatigue, others believe it’s been Marvel’s reliance on Disney Plus in recent years.
With so many shows having been released, including Ms. Marvel, that tie in directly with the events of their blockbuster films, it could explain why fans are disinterested. After all, not everyone has the time to dive into a complete television series to prepare themselves for a theatrical event.
The box office and critical responses to The Marvels could very well signify a change for Disney. And at this point, they certainly have the time to figure things out. There’s only one MCU film scheduled to be released in 2024 – and that’s Deadpool 3. Of course, the reason being is the actors strike, but it will certainly give Marvel Studios and Disney a convenient amount of time to rethink their release strategy. Especially when they’re beginning to refocus on stand-alone Disney Plus projects like Echo.