The superhero factory has hit a new low this weekend with the launch of ‘The Marvels’.
The 33rd installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a sequel to the 2019 Brie Larson-led ‘Captain Marvel’, managed less than a third of the $153.4 million its predecessor launched with before ultimately taking in $1.13 billion worldwide.
Sequels, especially in Marvel Land, aren’t supposed to fall off a cliff. Yet ‘The Marvels’ debuted with more than $100 million less than ‘Captain Marvel’ opened with something no sequel has ever done.
The previous low for a Walt Disney Co.-owned Marvel movie was ‘Ant-Man’, which bowed at $57.2 million in 2015. However ‘The Marvels’ was a $200 million-plus sequel to a billion-dollar blockbuster. It was also an exceptional Marvel release in numerous ways.
Directed by Nia DaCosta, the movie was the first MCU release directed by a Black woman. It is also the rare Marvel movie led by three women Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani.
However, reviews were not strong (62% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and neither was audience’s reaction. ‘The Marvels’ is only the third MCU release to receive a ‘B’ CinemaScore from moviegoers, following ‘Eternals’ and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania’.
‘The Marvels’, which added $63.3 million in overseas ticket sales, might go down as a turning point in the MCU. Over the years, the franchise has collected $33 billion globally — a point Disney noted in reporting its grosses Sunday.
Marvel has still produced recent hits such as ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’. The film was launched this summer with $118 million before ultimately raking in $845.6 million worldwide. Sony’s ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ earned $690.5 million globally and, after rave reviews, is widely expected to be an Oscar contender.
