Multiverse Saga's Box Office Numbers Suggest Marvel Studios' Recent Woes May Have Been Wildly Overstated

Multiverse Saga's Box Office Numbers Suggest Marvel Studios' Recent Woes May Have Been Wildly Overstated

Talk of "superhero fatigue" continues to make headlines, but is the genre - and Marvel Studios, in particular - really in as much trouble as some would have you believe? Not according to the box office!

By JoshWilding - Nov 24, 2023 11:11 AM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Studios
Source: Forbes

There are those who would have you believe that superhero fatigue is in full effect. That narrative is being pushed by those hoping to will the comic book movie genre out of existence, but do Marvel and DC really run the risk of heading the way of the Western? 

2023 has been a colossal disaster for the DCEU, while even Marvel Studios has struggled after delivering critical and commercial disappointments in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels

However, there's hope on the horizon for both brands. The DCEU is being rebooted by DC Studios as the DCU and the MCU is looking to get back to quality over quantity by releasing only a single movie, Deadpool 3, in 2024. 

Looking at the bigger picture - namely, money - is the MCU and the Multiverse Saga in trouble? Based on new details shared by Forbes, absolutely not. 

Thanks to the record-breaking hauls made by Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the 22 movies in the Infinity Saga have a per-film average of around $935 million at the worldwide box office (that figure is derived from dividing the Saga's $20+ billion haul by 22). 

Prior to The Marvels, the 10 movies released in the Multiverse Saga have grossed a combined total of $8.1 billion. That's a per-film average of roughly $815 million, not bad considering the fact Marvel Studios has faced a pandemic and failed to release a single Avengers movie.

Now, there's no denying that interest has waned to some degree, but there's nothing here to suggest this is a) a franchise in major trouble or b) the beginning of the end for superhero movies. As the site explains, even the pandemic MCU movies which underperformed still grossed more than the likes of Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash in 2023. 

On the subject of this year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the fourth-highest-grossing movie and even the Ant-Man threequel has cracked the Top 10. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has also made the cut, so talk of "superhero fatigue" is clearly premature. 

Marvel Studios does need to make some changes and the Multiverse Saga has been undeniably hit-or-miss. Still, it seems like there was an unrealistic expectation that every MCU title would open to 90+% on Rotten Tomatoes and record-breaking opening weekends after the last two Avengers movies, a ridiculously high bar even before the pandemic changed the very nature of filmgoing as we know it. 

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 11/24/2023, 11:24 AM
Origame
Origame - 11/24/2023, 11:39 AM
@Gabimaru - nah, she likes cats. She just understands what they're missing.

Boobs!
StSteven
StSteven - 11/24/2023, 4:31 PM
@Origame - Well, that depends on who you ask actually:

Dina Byrnes : "I had no idea you could milk a cat!"
Greg Focker : "Oh yeah, you can milk anything with nipples."
Jack Byrnes : "[He reacts] I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?"

Oh that Focker!
Origame
Origame - 11/24/2023, 5:42 PM
@StSteven - listen dude, this is something brie actually said.

On Jimmy Kimmel she went on stage and said "cats. They're adorable. But do you know what they're missing? Boobs!"
StSteven
StSteven - 11/24/2023, 5:57 PM
@Origame - Um, well then. I, uh, um, yes. I just thought that were referring to her, um. Well, um... well I guess she would definitely know about boobs then? I all out here. 😳
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/24/2023, 11:26 AM
Nah, you cant mask the flopping of The Marvels and Quantumania and the general audience ignoring Marvel films by averaging all phase 4-5 movies.

It is not a homogenous mixture. These last 2 films are of very low quality as compared to shang chi or nwh (didnt read the whole article so im assuming you included nwh which is another cheat on your claim)
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/24/2023, 11:30 AM
@vectorsigma - and dont tell me you included ATSV in your count. Funny
Goldboink
Goldboink - 11/24/2023, 1:44 PM
@vectorsigma -
The Marvels is not a bad movie. Just not groundbreaking. They And Man was almost unwatchable though. No Way Home and MoM were really good movies though.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/24/2023, 11:28 AM
We will know the Marvel feels troubled if they change DP3 to PG. That is my barometer on this.
Comicmoviejunki
Comicmoviejunki - 11/24/2023, 1:20 PM
@vectorsigma - not one Marvel movie has been PG. Why would they do that???
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 11/24/2023, 11:29 AM
"Looking at the bigger picture - namely, money - is the MCU and the Multiverse Saga in trouble?"

There are two answers to that quetion:

1.: Compared to the previous MCU Phases, yes. Resoundingly yes. Even after taking into consideration more general industry struggles like CoVid adn the recent strikes, those recent numbers are not indicative of what the MCU should be. I mean, for f#ck's sake, we're talking about doing worse than Ezra. There's no excuse for that. Do better, Kev.

2.: Compared to the rest of the industry, no. Contrary to popular narrative, KOTFM is about to be as much of a bomb as The Marvels, if not even more so. But I suppose certain names ought to be protected at all costs, whereas the kiddie trend that actually urged audiences to be educated on film structure instead of gatekeeping it as an art form needs to die because mainstream and whatnot.

You all know what your personal bias is, so pick your poison each.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/24/2023, 11:32 AM
@DrReedRichards - again, you make sense. I don't really mind. As long as cinemas keep existing, people can keep going to them for the movie they like. Whether that is Marvel, or Scorcese
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/24/2023, 11:33 AM
@DrReedRichards - the claim is too skewed as well imo given that they included nwh and atsv which are completely different productions.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 11/24/2023, 11:34 AM
@vectorsigma -

ATSV is by no means MCU. NWH very much is, though.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 11/24/2023, 11:34 AM
@bkmeijer1 -

Thanks again, man. I do try, but it gets increasingly hard lately.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/24/2023, 11:41 AM
@DrReedRichards - im not really sure about atsv tbh.

Making this claim (MCU not in trouble) from average BO and using nwh because it made so much is a cheat that can only be mustered by writers on this site
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 11/24/2023, 11:43 AM
@vectorsigma -

I'm confused.

I agree that ATSV should not be counted, but why not NWH either?
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 11/24/2023, 11:44 AM
@DrReedRichards - My honest opinion is that it's been greatly exaggerated. Unlike DC, I don't think the MCU is in danger of needing to reboot. On the other hand, it wouldn't be crazy to say that this saga does need a revaluation.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 11/24/2023, 11:50 AM
@MCUKnight11 -

This is a matter of semantics, I believe.

I agree with you that the MCU is not strictly in danger of needing to reboot, but with the plan being such a reboot down the line as soon as the Fox acqusition was made, and with the recent BO numbers and critical recetpion being objectively less satisfactory than what they used to be, it's not particularly difficult for certain folks to twist the narrative into presenting this already planned choice as a hasty maneuver of desperation insted.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 11/24/2023, 11:51 AM
@DrReedRichards - My big question is whether these numbers include the payout to theatres or not. Box Office numbers are usually just total ticket sales. But theatres take a big portion of that. And judging by these numbers, it doesn't feel like this is after the theatres take their cut.

Most studios keep about 50-55 cents on the dollar per ticket sold. Disney is a huge powerhouse in the industry and they keep around 60 cents on the dollar.

So suddenly that big $800 million Box Office turns into $480 million for the studio. Minus their budget and marketing.

So, yeah. That paints a much clearer picture. Do I think the MCU is going under? No, of course not. But there is also 100% a reason for them making the announcement that they would be scaling back the amount of projects they put out and putting budget limits in place. They would have no reason to do those things if the MCU was performing the way they want it to.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 11/24/2023, 11:52 AM
@MCUKnight11 - I don't think the MCU NEEDS a reboot. I do think it makes sense for rebuilding a world and including characters that people miss as well as bringing in the X-Men.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/24/2023, 11:53 AM
@DrReedRichards - because imo, nwh is from a separate production (sony). And we cant claim that the overall multiverse product is not in trouble because a film within it made too much money that it helped bring up the average BO.

I guess @Origame has explained it better below than me

DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 11/24/2023, 11:55 AM
@CorndogBurglar -

Speaking as someone who actually works in a movie theatre, albeit a small one, I can give you my two cents.

As much as a certain YouTube crowd likes to preach otherwise, not all theatres rent movies via percentage (bordereau). Smaller ones do, like ours, but bigger companies buy those movies with a fixed price that fluctutes depending on the week of the movie being shown.

Immediately, this translates to a more steady income that is more proportiante to screens showing whatever movie, regardless of tickets being sold for each specific screening.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 11/24/2023, 11:57 AM
@DrReedRichards - If anyone has read either Secret wars, they know the universe gets rebooted to a degree anyway. If there is truly no other way to include the Mutants then so be it.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 11/24/2023, 11:58 AM
@CorndogBurglar - If they don't think there's any other way to bring in the Mutants, then by all means reboot. That's what Secret wars did in the comics anyway.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 11/24/2023, 11:58 AM
@vectorsigma -

By that logic, Phase I should not be taken into consideration either because it was distributed by Paramount. Neither should HC or FFH in Phase III, since we're talking about Sony.

As for @Origame, let's just say I take the fact that he's blocked me as a massive compliment. Making anti-MCU trols cower is my bread and butter.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 11/24/2023, 12:01 PM
@DrReedRichards - All I can think about when that user pops up is what flame war did they ignite in the comments section this time.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 11/24/2023, 12:03 PM
@MCUKnight11 -

It doesn't matter whether they've read it or not. Even those who haven't read it but are active in this particular genre of news have at least looked it up as soon as the movie was announced back in SDCC, just to know what that project will be about. They do know, but continuing whatever narrative for engagement is monetarily far more important.
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 11/24/2023, 12:13 PM
@DrReedRichards - I just like to continue to point out that the mcu $1 Billy every movie thing wasn’t true until like end of phase 3 , but whatever
bobevanz
bobevanz - 11/24/2023, 12:32 PM
@Jago - how do you do the screenshot thing? I don't have a degree in computer science for this dinosaur website
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