After a disastrous debut, The Marvels could well finish its theatrical run as the lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time - and it's not the first Marvel Studios movie to underperform over the past couple of years.
The reasons why can be debated back and forth all day, but even the staunchest MCU defender would have to admit that general audiences simply don't seem to be as invested in this franchise as they once were, and interest has dipped significantly since The Infinity Saga gave way to the current Multiverse Saga.
Can Marvel do anything to reignite those Avengers: Endgame levels of hype as we build towards the next big MCU event, The Kang Dynasty?
The Marvels star Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan) was asked this very question during an interview with The Direct, and she believes the studio needs to put more emphasis on developing characters that fans genuinely care about.
“I don't know. I don't know if it's about just getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Because then, like, what's left? You know, I think it's just about making the audience care about their characters. And I think they've established so many wonderful characters in the last phase of the MCU that it would be nice to see them all again and see them team up.”
Vellani has previously commented on the Captain Marvel sequel's disappointing box office performance, and once again points out that, as a fan, "commercial success honestly doesn't determine the enjoyment of a film for me."
“But yeah, I mean, I'm speaking as a fan, like I'm still there every Thursday night. All the Thursday night openings of these movies... they're just like a source of happiness for me. And the commercial success honestly doesn't determine the enjoyment of a film for me. I judge a movie by the feeling it left me with. And yeah, I do want to leave a movie feeling a little lighter and a little happier, and I hope the audience does, too.”
It remains to be seen if Marvel can turn things around, but we'd be very surprised if Kevin Feige wasn't planning to make some big changes going forward.
"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.