We're now just days away from The Marvels blasting into theaters but the movie's box office prospects still aren't looking as strong as Marvel Studios would like.
Deadline believes there's a chance the Captain Marvel sequel will open with less than $70 million, an even lower figure than Eternals' $71.2 million in 2021 (bear in mind that dropped at a time many moviegoers were uncertain about returning to theaters).
It's worth noting this information is based on ticket presales as they're said to be pacing behind both Black Adam and The Flash (which debuted with $67 million and $55 million, respectively). Many people might be waiting on reviews or for word-of-mouth given the MCU's recent hit-and-miss track record.
What this means for Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Photon moving forward is hard to say, though they could all be relegated to supporting character status in future projects rather than the lead stars of their own.
Where has it seemingly all gone wrong for The Marvels? The SAG-AFTRA strike certainly hasn't helped as Marvel Studios has been unable to use the sequel's A-List cast to generate any sort of excitement for the movie. That also meant missing this past July's San Diego Comic-Con, while the absence of late-night chat shows has left Marvel with only TV spots and social media posts to try and reach filmgoers.
It's no secret that the MCU is also still going through some growing pains post-Avengers: Endgame, while Secret Invasion doing nothing to set the stage for the movie...well, that was a major missed opportunity.
Then, there's the title. It doesn't mean much to non-fans (why wouldn't you include "Captain Marvel" in there when that movie made over $1 billion?) and the marketing campaign in general has been so-so with largely forgettable trailers. The Marvels feels like a throwaway adventure rather than a must-see event, though the rumoured addition of a Multiversal cameo could go a long way in building buzz.
If the movie exceeds expectations and ends up being one of Marvel Studios' best, then it will be a great shame to see it struggle at the box office. Tracking and presales have been all over the place since the pandemic, though, so you never know what might happen.
Will you be watching The Marvels in theaters this weekend?
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 currently set to arrive in theaters on November 10.