The Marvels is now available to watch in movie theaters worldwide, but it looks like moviegoers aren’t as keen for the movie as Disney/Marvel Studios had hoped. Here are the potential reasons why The Marvels bombed at the box office during its opening weekend.
The new movie suffered from the lowest reported opening weekend numbers for any MCU movie (both domestically and worldwide). It opened with $46 million at the domestic box office and earned a total of $109 million worldwide (as per Variety). With a reported budget of $274.8 million ($219.8 million of it spent directly by Disney), The Marvels needs to gross over $600 million to break even, which seems like a tough ask.
Why The Marvels has bombed at the box office
The Marvels faced several problems that may have impacted its box office performance. This includes the declining interest in superhero movies and sequels, low interest in its characters, no promotion from the actors, and multiple others listed below.
Superhero/Sequel Fatigue
Superhero and sequel fatigue may be building among Marvel movie fans. With so many movies and TV shows centered around an ever-growing number of heroes, it’s possible that fans are being left exhausted.
Less familiarity or interest in certain characters
The Marvels’ Monica Rambeau got her origin in early 2021 and didn’t appear in any project ever since, potentially leading many fans to forget about her character. Meanwhile, Ms. Marvel was the least-watched MCU series on Disney+.
Why The Marvels actors didn’t promote the movie
Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, The Marvels’ lead cast wasn’t allowed to promote the movie. Hence, they couldn’t contribute to generating enough hype for the film.
The Disney+ factor
With MCU movies available on Digital HD and streaming within 2-3 months of their theatrical release,viewers may have become habitual to watching Marvel movies at a lower price or at no extra cost on Disney+. So, they may have opted to wait and watch it in the comfort of their homes.
Lack of critical support
While many critics called the film “entertaining,” The Marvels still amassed a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 62%. Its CinemaScore from the audience was tied at the lowest for Marvel at “B,” which may have hurt the marketing of the film even further.
