The Marvels significantly underperformed in its opening weekend at the box office. Here are the reasons that this happened to the MCU film.
The Marvels has made Marvel Studios history. Unfortunately, it’s not the good kind, as the most recent installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe opened to $110 million globally at the box office – the worst opening day for an MCU movie in history.
Two years ago, those numbers would have been unlikely. Five years ago, they would have been impossible, as the MCU wasn’t just known for producing success stories, it was known for producing sure-fire hits. Like huge hits – something that the Captain Marvel franchise is all too familiar with, as its 2019 predecessor Captain Marvel crossed $1 billion at the box office.
So what went wrong? Why did The Marvels fail at the box office, and what prevented it from hitting the heights of the previous installments? What hindered the MCU’s streak of sure-fire hits and the movie down a path were it probably won’t break even?
Well, as much as the haters like to pretend there isn’t, there are actually some reasons as to why it didn’t hit quite as hard as hoped.
The Marvels couldn’t be promoted by the cast during the strikes
The Marvels may have made box office history but it also made a different kind of history, as it was the first Marvel Studios movie to release so close to Hollywood strikes. While both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes ended prior to the movie’s actual release, the latter ended just a few days before it hit movie theaters. That meant that there was no time to organize press tours, screenings featuring the actors, or television appearances for Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, or Iman Vellani.
Television is a huge form of promotion. Both daytime and late night talk shows attract major audiences, so being able to have the actors promote the movies on them would have had quite the impact on how many people knew the movie was coming out, and could have resulted in more of them heading out to see it in theaters.
An appearance from Brie Larson on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon was organized as soon as the strike had ended, but that was on Friday night, when the previews and opening day numbers were already beginning to filter out. Its fate had been set in motion by that point.
We’re not saying that press tours and TV appearances would have prevented the movie from underperforming, but it could have gone a long way in helping it at least match some of the projections made in recent weeks. The Marvels just didn’t have the visibility that previous MCU movies did, and that visibility could have helped it a great deal.
Superhero / Marvel fatigue
Three years ago, Marvel fans balked at the idea of superhero fatigue. I know, I was one of them. Why would people get sick of something that has been so universally enjoyed for so long, and was only now in the prime of its life? Well, unfortunately, and I hate to say it, we might have finally entered that era.
First thing’s first, I really don’t believe in the general idea of superhero fatigue, but I do think that superhero fans are fatigued by both the Marvel and DC franchises right now. The DCEU evolved into a mismatching mess, full of inconsistencies and dull movies – resulting in a string of recent DC films flopping at the box office.
While Marvel’s standard has remained generally stronger, the expansion of the franchise into streaming television – after its most interesting era came to an end – has diluted the audience. Focusing on too many new characters at once while releasing too many TV shows and movies in one year alienated a portion of the general audience who may have gotten confused and / or struggled to keep up with all the titles.
What’s more is that the standard of MCU outings has decreased compared to Phase Three. While there are gems like WandaVision, Loki, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, there are critical failures like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Thor: Love and Thunder. And you can bet all of that has gone a long way in alienating fans further – all you have to do is look at how Ant-Man 3 underperformed significantly at the box office.
While general superhero fatigue isn’t a thing, there is no doubt that an element of it has crept into the MCU. If The Marvels was released during Phase Three, it would have been a huge success. And that is not The Marvels‘ fault as much as it is the decline of the franchise standard as a whole.
Glorious competition
As someone who had to stay up late to watch the Loki finale and then get up early the next morning to see The Marvels, I am well-aware of the commitment that being a fan of the MCU requires. And the most committed fans did turn out (remember the movie still grossed over $110 million in its opening weekend). However, what about those who maybe didn’t feel the need to see another chapter of the MCU when they already had the Loki season 2 finale to enjoy this past weekend?
Loki is one of the most universally-adored characters in the MCU, and his Disney Plus series is the one that has received the most acclaim (outside of WandaVision), so it’s no surprise that the second season has been so successful. Its season finale premiered on Thursday evening (the same night as The Marvels‘ previews), so it would have been totally understandable if MCU fans opted to watch the God of Mischief’s newest adventure instead, especially as it may well be the series finale.
Loki had far more visibility than The Marvels over the past few weeks, with Marvel and Disney going hard on the promo train because they knew how successful the first season was. Thus, releasing the movie in the wake of its game-changing season finale maybe wasn’t the best idea.
We’re not blaming Loki itself for the movie’s underperformance, but it could have had quite the impact if fans were forced to choose. After all, given the character’s popularity, the fact that the show had been running for five weeks prior to this episode (and that it can be watched from the comfort of your own home), and the fact that it was the season finale, you couldn’t blame anyone if they ultimately chose to watch the show instead of venturing out to the movie theaters this weekend.
It was never going to match Captain Marvel’s success
Captain Marvel was a huge success story for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first ever female-led Marvel Studios movie, it ended up grossing over $1 billion at the box office – a resounding success for being such a milestone, especially as Carol Danvers wasn’t as well known as other Marvel heroes. It’s a phenomenal accomplishment and one that should have come earlier in the MCU if we’re being honest.
However, when we recount the film’s success, there is one small footnote that we often overlook. The movie was released between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame – both of which broke box office records and currently sit in the Top 10 highest-grossing movies ever made. It was also set up in the closing moments of Infinity War, which again drew a huge audience.
The MCU was at its peak when Captain Marvel was released, and the movie benefitted from a billion dollar launching pad in an Avengers movie. It was always destined for success. Unfortunately, that success made it impossible for The Marvels to follow in its footsteps.
Not only is audience excitement waning after a number of lacklustre projects, there were no major Avengers movies to launch promotion for the sequel. It was just there, fighting for its life at a very quiet time for the MCU and marketing in general.
It wasn’t marketed as a must-see Marvel movie
When I first watched The Marvels trailer, I had the biggest smile on my face. After a number of serious, dull, or disappointing outings from the MCU, this just looked like pure fun. And that’s exactly what it was. Silly fun at times, but fun nonetheless.
Looking back, however, that could be where it all went wrong. Honestly, I love my fun superhero movies. We watch these outings for escapism, and The Marvels has plenty of that. Unfortunately, with general audiences beginning to grow weary of the expansive MCU and the convoluted Multiverse Saga, they need a reason to go and see another chapter of it, and The Marvels just wasn’t marketed like that.
Take Captain Marvel for instance. When the film was released in 2019, it featured one of the most important post-credits scenes in MCU history, and there were huge audiences around to see that because the movie was marketed as being must-see. The Marvels also features a pivotal post-credits scene, and that actually makes it a must-see movie. Unfortunately, the audience isn’t there to watch it because the marketing never suggested that it would be anything more than a good time.
The Marvels is currently in theaters. Will you be going to see it?