2023 wasn't a good year for superhero movies, with the vast majority of them drawing negative reviews and poor box office returns. One of the most shocking flops, however, was The Marvels.
Captain Marvel made over $1 billion in 2019 and the follow-up saw Carol Danvers paired up with WandaVision's Monica Rambeau and Ms. Marvel's title character. Now, Deadline has crunched the numbers and revealed that The Marvels' $206.1 million global box office haul was worse than we realised.
According to the trade, when all is said and done, the movie made a net loss of $237 million. It's no wonder then that Disney CEO Bob Iger has said Marvel Studios will begin moving away from developing unnecessary sequels.
As for what the future holds in store for these characters, it's hard to say.
Monica will clearly be part of a future Multiversal story after landing in the same reality as the X-Men, while a Ms. Marvel Variant is rumoured to be Marvel Zombies' lead character. As for Captain Marvel, her story will surely continue in the next Avengers movies.
Of course, if 2023 was bad for Marvel Studios, then the DCEU fared even worse. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Blue Beetle, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and The Flash majorly underperformed, and while some did better than others, it was still a disappointing end for the franchise.
While the latter was billed as "the greatest superhero movie ever made," it ultimately made a net loss of $155 million. For comparison's sake, it made $271.3 million worldwide.
However, before getting too wrapped up in all that superhero fatigue talk, bear in mind the genre is still capable of making plenty of money. In fact, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is named as one of 2023's most successful movies, making a profit of $124 million.
"I think there was a lot of talk, and people hadn't seen it," Teyonah Parris recently said of The Marvels' struggles. "So that's frustrating, when people comment on things they haven't actually experienced." She added, "there's a lot of people who put a lot of their time, spirit and talent into bringing this forward."
"I would hope that people would give it a fair shot by just seeing it or trying it. If you don't like the first 10, 15 minutes, fair enough. Your time is precious. But we make these films so that it can be an escape from your real world in a moment for levity and joy and fantasticalness."
"You do not have to like something, but give it a chance by actually seeing it and forming your own opinion," Parris continues. "And if you did, then that's fair. That's how you feel, and I cannot take that from you."
What was your favourite 2023 superhero movie? Let us know in the comments section below.