Higher, further, faster... flatter.
The writing was on the wall after dismal early projections and ticket pre-sales, and after opening in theaters on Friday, The Marvels looks set for the lowest domestic debut in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After taking in just $21.5 million on Friday, the Nia DaCosta-directed Captain Marvel sequel is headed for a domestic opening of between $47 million and $52 million, which would bring it in under current lowest-opener The Incredible Hulk ($55.4 million). It would also fail to surpass DC/Warner Bros.' recent flop The Flash, which made $55 million domestically on its way to a dire $270.6 million global haul.
Mixed reviews probably didn't help (the movie currently sits at 61% on Rotten Tomatoes), and word-of-mouth doesn't seem particular positive, either, since The Marvels became just the third MCU film to receive a B CinemaScore.
This is obviously going to fuel the "superhero fatigue" theory, and at this point, it is difficult to argue that general audiences are showing less interest in both Marvel and DC-based movies overall.
"The Marvels is far from the best Marvel Studios has to offer, but it's difficult not to get swept up in its infectious energy... to a point," we said in our review. "A disjointed third act lets it down, but a game cast and plenty of fun/funny moments elevate it above more lacklustre MCU fare (we're looking at you, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumnia)."
"In Marvel Studios’ 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 film also stars Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon. Nia DaCosta directs, and Kevin Feige is the producer. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Mary Livanos and Matthew Jenkins serve as executive producers. The screenplay is by Megan McDonnell, Nia DaCosta, Elissa Karasik and Zeb Wells.
The Marvels will begin its international rollout on November 8, and was recently granted a China release on November 10, day-and-date with North America.
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