While The Marvels has managed to escape that dreaded "Rotten" status on Rotten Tomatoes, it doesn't seem to have done much to help the Captain Marvel sequel at the box office.
The Marvel Studios movie kicked off its run in North America with a so-so $6.6 million from Thursday evening previews. That's a far cry from the $20.7 million its predecessor earned back in 2019 before it went on to earn $153.4 million during its opening weekend.
Of course, helping matters was the fact it was teased in Avengers: Infinity War's post-credits scene before Carol Danvers' appearance in Avengers: Endgame.
Three weeks ago, a $75 million - $80 million opening looked likely but, as with almost every title released post-pandemic, those numbers proved to be way off base. Instead, The Marvels will likely open between $60 million - $65 million, giving it one of the lowest openings ever for any MCU title.
To avoid becoming its lowest of all time, it will have to top The Incredible Hulk ($55.4 million) and Ant-Man ($57.2 million).
Marvel Studios is said to be hopeful that interest and awareness will start picking up, particularly as Veteran's Day is on a Friday instead of tomorrow (meaning kids aren't in school). Pundits will likely scramble to figure out where it all went wrong for The Marvels, though Marvel Studios will probably be setting its sights on delivering what should be a guaranteed $1 billion hit with Deadpool 3 next year. Still, there's nothing to say the sequel won't have legs!
With the SAG-AFTRA strike at an end, Marvel Studios has already started getting the cast involved with promoting the movie:
"Proof that a 90-minute blockbuster can soar," we said in our review, "The Marvels is bolstered by three terrific leads and might just be the most fun you’ll have at the theater this year, even if it’s not necessarily destined to be remembered as a mighty Marvel classic."
In The Marvels, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe.
When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as "The Marvels."
The movie stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon.
The Marvels is set to arrive in theaters on November 10.