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The one-time superhero of Marvel Studios is now a mere mortal.
For 15 years, Marvel delivered one hit after another – 32 in total, with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”, which collected $846 million in May, the most recent. Sure, there were wobbles. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” reached $106 million in February and collected $476 million by the end of its run. However, even Marvel’s less blockbuster movies were still blockbusters.
But the boutique studio faltered badly over the weekend, with “The Marvels,” a sequel that cost nearly $300 million to make and market, reaching $47 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada, which That’s the lowest for a Marvel release. David A., a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on ticket sales. Gross said, “This marks an unprecedented decline at the Marvel box office.”
To date, “The Incredible Hulk”, released in 2008, had the studio’s worst debut – grossing $79 million in the United States and Canada, after adjusting for inflation. “The Marvels” is the sequel to “Captain Marvel,” which earned $153 million in opening-weekend ticket sales at domestic theaters in 2019.
“The Marvels”, about a trio of superheroines whose powers intersect, earned an additional $63.3 million overseas. Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani star in the lead roles, with Ms. Parris and Vellani reprising the characters that originated in the Disney+ series. “The Marvels” was directed by Nia DaCosta, the first Black woman to helm a Marvel film.
Tony Chambers, Disney’s executive vice president of theatrical distribution, acknowledged that the results were “disappointing” given Marvel’s “unparalleled batting average”. “There may be a barrier to entry, with some people feeling they need to have already seen the Disney+ show to know what’s going on in the movie,” he said.
However, Mr Chambers said, “We know the film is appealing to female audiences. “We will keep the pressure on and put up a good fight on Thanksgiving.”
No one in Hollywood expected “The Marvels” to perform as well as “Captain Marvel,” which came between two megahits, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” But Disney, earlier in the fall, had expected “The Marvels” to reach at least $70 million in domestic ticket sales, an acceptable result.
To a lesser extent, “The Marvels” was hurt by the actors’ strike, which prevented Ms. Larson and her co-stars from attending promotional events — at least until Wednesday, when the 118-day strike was resolved. Superhero fatigue also likely played a role. With the likes of “Blue Beetle” and “Shazam,” audiences have grown to love these glasses! Fury of the Gods,” both from DC Studios, as recent evidence.
“You’ve Seen This Movie 32 Times Before,” read the headline of the New York Times review of “The Marvels.”
Analyst Mr. Gross said “The Marvels” is the third superhero sequel in which female characters have flopped. The other two are “Wonder Woman: 1984”, which was affected by the pandemic, and “Birds of Prey”, in which Margot Robbie played Harley Quinn. “Female-driven entertainment is enjoying extraordinary success at the moment, but audiences are not accepting these stories,” she said.
The biggest reason for Marvel Studios’ collapse over the weekend probably involves its corporate owner, Disney, which has pushed Marvel to drastically increase its production in recent years. Desperate for content that would attract Disney+ streaming subscribers, Disney began churning out television series to Marvel, resulting in a rat’s nest of visual effects and story lines of wildly varying quality, even That won some ardent fans, not to mention casual fans. Following the times.
“I’ve always felt that quantity can really be a negative when it comes to quality,” said Disney chief executive Robert A. Iger said on an earnings conference call Wednesday. “And I think that’s exactly what happened. “We lost some focus.”
Disney is holding back. Marvel Studios only has one film on the company’s release schedule for next year. (That’ll be “Deadpool 3,” due out in July.) On Thursday, Disney pulled back three other Marvel movies: “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Blade” and “Thunderbolts,” which are set to be Are to arrive in 2025.
