While some fans continue to claim that reviews and box office numbers don't matter, the simple fact is that they do. You need only look at what happened with Solo: A Star Wars Story for proof of that; middling feedback and a disappointing worldwide haul resulted in Disney completely changing its plan for the franchise moving forward!
2019 will see the release of a number of Marvel, DC Comics, and Dark Horse comic book adaptations and with Captain Marvel's tracking causing a huge amount of discussion right now, we thought it would be a good time to predict the eventual worldwide box office takings for not just that but every other CBM genre release throughout 2019.
We're sure you'll have something to say about all of these predictions, so to check them out and weigh in with your thoughts, all you guys have to do is hit the "View List" button down below.
Captain Marvel
Prediction: $1.005 billion worldwide
Early tracking continues to increase for Captain Marvel (much to the chagrin of some angry "fans") and if those first reactions are anything to go by, this will be another hit for Marvel Studios.
Black Panther exceeded expectations and tapped into the African American/black market in a much bigger way than a lot of other blockbusters, so this one will no doubt find an equally huge amount of success among female moviegoers and young girls who don't necessarily always gravitate towards superhero movies.
Throw in the fact that it should be a draw for pretty much everyone else, and I definitely think Captain Marvel will crack the $1 billion mark even if it doesn't quite replicate Black Panther's success.
Shazam!
Prediction: $450 million worldwide
Warner Bros.' first DC Comics adaptation in 2019, I think Shazam! will be a lot of fun, but probably a by-the-books origin story that'[s light on surprises (and originality). I loved Aquaman, but moviegoers aren't remotely familiar with this character so middling reviews could end up hurting it.
Throw in the fact that it's going head to head with Pet Sematary and is hitting theaters just weeks before Hellboy and Avengers: Endgame and Shazam! isn't going to have very long to make an impact at the box office, either domestically or internationally.
That's a shame and I really want it to succeed, but I think the odds may be stacked against this one before we even get started. With any luck, a modest return will be enough to ensure that the character can return and there's still a chance it could end up exceeding expectations this April.
Hellboy
Prediction: $110 million worldwide
That may seem incredibly low but based on the first trailer, I really don't have high hopes for what looks like an extremely average blockbuster along the lines of R.I.P.D. (watch that teaser and tell me you don't instantly see the similarities).
Throw in the fact that it's sandwiched between Shazam! and Avengers: Endgame and I definitely think this will be one of the first notable flops of 2018. Plus, when you consider the fact the original made only $99.3 million and the sequel cracked $160.4 million, things aren't looking good for a reboot which looks considerably worse than both of them.
I'm sorry to say that this fresh take on the franchise is more than likely dead on arrival.
Avengers: Endgame
Prediction: $2.2 billion worldwide
This is a tough one to predict. On the one hand, this is the biggest Marvel Studios movie of all-time and the conclusion of not only a story that's played out over more than a decade, but also Avengers: Infinity War (which obviously featured a jaw-dropping cliffhanger).
On the other, I can't help but wonder if some moviegoers will have been angered by seeing their favourite characters die and if that could minimise interest, to at least some extent. Plus, if it has a three-hour running time, that reduces the number of showings a day and may have an impact on the likelihood of repeat viewings.
Then again, it's damn near impossible to imagine Avengers: Endgame not cracking the $2 billion mark and I do think it will just manage to beat its predecessor.
Dark Phoenix
The negative reviews for X-Men: Apocalypse had a far more significant impact on the movie's box office haul than anyone ever expected, and with a first-time director like Simon Kinberg at the helm of a follow-up which has undergone a huge amount of reshoots and been delayed multiple times...well, is anyone expecting this to be good?
Surprisingly, even the biggest fans of Fox's X-Men franchise have started souring on it ever since we learned that the rights are returning to Marvel Studios, because now they just want to see faithful takes on these characters and that's going to lessen interest, too.
If Fox starts promoting Dark Phoenix as the end of an era, that could help, but with no Wolverine this time around, I don't see any reason moviegoers will choose to flock to it and if I'm right about those reviews, that won't do the film any favours either. It's also surrounded by huge releases like Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Men in Black: International so this is going to flop. Hard.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Prediction: $920 million worldwide
Spider-Man: Homecoming vastly exceeded expectations back in 2017 and put the wall-crawler's solo franchise back on the right track. Everything about the sequel is looking spectacular thus far, and you just know that fanboys and regular moviegoers alike will be excited to see the fallout from Avengers: Endgame as well as another Spider-Man adventure.
By the time Spider-Man: Far From Home swings our way, Toy Story 4 will have been in theaters for a couple of weeks and The Lion King will still be weeks away.
That gives the Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios movie some time to really bring in the crowds in a prime summer slot and I can see it having some serious legs moving into August. With that in mind, I think we'll see a modest - but still very impressive - increase over the previous instalment's $880 million worldwide cume.
The New Mutants
Prediction: $0 Worldwide
At this point, I a) don't think The New Mutants is ever going to be released, and b) am positive that if those reshoots do happen, it will end up on a streaming service like Hulu (something executive producer Lauren Shuler Donner has already alluded to).
It's a shame as this one had a lot of potential, but if the spinoff isn't going to end up in theaters, it simply can't make any money.
Joker
Prediction: $500 million worldwide
Of all the movies listed here, Joker gave me the hardest time. A presumably R-Rated standalone origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime, Warner Bros. is smart to capitalise on the Batman villain's popularity - but will a dark and gritty take on his past appeal to the masses?
Todd Phillips is a hit and miss filmmaker but if he's got this right and Joaquin Phoenix is bringing his A-Game to the table, then I can see reviews being overwhelmingly positive and this could be a comic book movie that garners some serious awards attention.
If it's a weird, bizarre mess of a story that alienates fans, then I'm not so sure. However, I think Logan is a good movie to compare this to in some ways, and while I can see it making slightly less than that, it could still paying off for Warner Bros. in the respect that the budget is obviously a fraction of movies like Aquaman and Shazam.
Star Wars Episode IX
Prediction: $1.5 billion worldwide
This obviously isn't a comic book movie, but it is one we cover here on CBM and there's already a lot of speculation about how well Star Wars Episode IX will perform after The Last Jedi seemingly split the fanbase down the middle.
Well, this is the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga and you just know that J.J. Abrams has been told to make it a fan-pleasing affair.
As a result, there's no way this is going to be a flop along the lines of Solo: A Star Wars Story and while there's no way it's cracking the $2 billion mark like The Force Awakens did back in 2015, I'm confident it will manage to top its predecessor. Just!
What are your predictions for these movies at the box office in 2019? Do you agree with my thoughts or am I way off? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the usual place.
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