UPDATE: Clearly, underestimating the power of the MCU is a mistake as Eternals ended up scoring a solid $71 million debut in North America for a $161 million global haul.
Original story follows...
Early projections for Marvel Studios' Eternals pegged it to open at around $70 million - $75 million at the North American box office this weekend, but the latest figures - via The Hollywood Reporter - suggest the movie will fall slightly short of that. According to the trade, a $69 million debut looks likely, though there's a chance it could dip to around $67 million.
That's by no means a bad result for a movie featuring characters even die-hard comic book fans aren't overly familiar with, especially in this "pandemic era" of box office hauls.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which received significantly better reviews, earned $75.4 million over three days. Black Widow, meanwhile, took aim at $80.4 million, though some of that was counted from Disney+'s $29.99 Premier Access service. It feels like Eternals' opening is being framed as a failure by some, but even $67 million is not to be sniffed at in this climate.
What will be most telling is how the next couple of weeks go. If word of mouth isn't good, then Eternals could struggle to make a big enough impact to justify a sequel. However, given the way the movie ends, there's no way these characters don't return in some form down the line. It's also worth pointing out that, thus far, fans of the MCU appear to be loving this latest Phase 4 adventure.
"A powerful, sweeping exploration of love, life, and the MCU’s history, Eternals occasionally stumbles, but when it soars, this is Marvel Studios at its magnificent best," we said in our review.
Have you guys watched Eternals on the big screen this weekend?