The Marvels has earned the unfortunate distinction of having the worst opening weekend in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) 32-film history, following disappointing takings in the US.
Directed by Nia DaCosta, The Marvels is the follow-up to 2019’s Captain Marvel, which starred Brie Larson as the titular superhero. The film features Iman Vallani from Ms Marvel and Teyonah Paris from WandaVision.
The film was expected to have a weak opening at the box office, with fans expressing “Marvel fatigue” and feeling that the franchise has been oversaturated since the peak of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. However, some early reviewers were pleasantly surprised by the film.
Unfortunately, The Marvels still struggled during its opening weekend. The film’s first day brought in $21.5m (£17.5m) in the US, making it the second-lowest grossing opening day for an MCU film. Over the entire weekend, the movie took just $47m (£38m) in the US.
These figures placed The Marvels at the lower end of its estimated domestic takings based on Friday’s sales and gave it the worst US opening weekend of any MCU film, with an estimated $220m (£179m) budget. Critics praised aspects of The Marvels while others criticized it as a “disjointed mess” with a “rushed” final act.
Larson reprises her role of Captain Marvel in ‘The Marvels’
(Marvel)
In her review for The Independent, film critic Clarisse Loughrey called the film “marvellous.” She discussed Marvel’s challenges and how The Marvels may yet provide them with a blueprint for their own survival.
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At its peak in 2019, Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time. Since then, Marvel’s attempts to introduce new characters and create fresh franchises have been met with mixed success both critically and commercially.
In 2023, Marvel entered “phase five” with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Unfortunately, it became the lowest-scoring MCU film on Rotten Tomatoes. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 fared better with critics, as well as in the box office.
The Marvels is currently in cinemas.
