Could the latest MARVEL franchise film make history for the cinematic universe in one of the most unanticipated ways?
©GILBERT FLORES/VARIETY VIA GETTY; LAURA RADFORD/MARVEL
We’ve seen Disney eventually find success for a couple of films that had a tepid response initially — like The Little Mermaid and Disney/Pixar’s Elemental. However, Disney’s latest installment to the MCU seems to be struggling at the box office, begging the question of just “what went wrong?”
Chances are if you walked anywhere near a movie theater recently you’ve probably seen ample advertising for the latest installment to the MARVEL universe for Disney’s The Marvels. However, despite its huge marketing push, it appears that audiences just weren’t clamoring to get out and see the film quickly.
AMC Theater
In a recent article with EW, Bob Iger addressed the low numbers at the box office for The Marvels and believes “pandemic-related production restrictions” were to blame.
“The Marvels was shot during COVID,” Iger said during a panel at The New York Times’ recent DealBook Summit, according to CNBC. “There wasn’t as much supervision on the set, so to speak, where we have executives [that are] really looking over what’s being done day after day after day.”
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This installment of the MARVEL franchise boasts a female-driven critical cast and crew like director Nia DaCosta (the first Black woman to helm an MCU film), Brie Larson returning as Captain Marvel, Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan (a.k.a. Ms. Marvel), and Teyonah Parris reprising her character as Monica Rambeau. While the film’s reviews have been fine, it didn’t seem to garner the same appeal as some of the bangers that the MARVEL cinematic universe has turned out in the past.
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The film opened in theaters in early November as the 33rd installment in the MCU. While we’re used to seeing billions of dollars from these big productions in the superhero franchise films, The Marvels premiered with a franchise low of $47 million domestically. Currently, its numbers sit at $77 million ($187 million worldwide), potentially setting it up as the first MARVEL film expected NOT to cross the $100 million mark domestically.
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When reflecting on what went wrong with this film, Iger mentioned that they might have to be more “realistic” about each film’s potential. Iger also cited a rise in demand for streaming as a contributor to the company’s theatrical struggles. “Disney+ you can get for $7 a month,” he said. “That’s a lot cheaper than taking your whole family to a film. So I think the bar is now raised in terms of quality about what gets people out of their homes into movie theaters.”
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Another cause for concern seemed to stem from an excess of sequel films. “I don’t want to apologize for making sequels,” Iger said. “Some of them have done extraordinarily well and they’ve been good films, too.” Additionally, he went on to say, “I think there has to be a reason to make them. You have to have a good story. And often the story doesn’t hold up to — is not as strong as the original story. That can be a problem.”
Iger has admitted that Disney has gone on to make “too many” sequels recently, however, “it doesn’t mean we’re not going to continue to make them.” Iger then went on to comment that several sequels for popular films are already in various production stages as we speak and that the company will continue to assess and greenlight continuing sequels if, “we believe the story that the creators want to tell is worth telling.”
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I think audiences have developed Marvel fatigue. The volume of movies in the franchise reached the point of saturation and audiences are no longer excited. That combined with how confusing it has become to connect all the dots has audiences disinterested.
Wow, They are totally out of touch. The movie stank. It was disjointed, and a singing planet? Come on! I could not keep track of what was happening at any given time. It’s like they threw any idea anyone had against the wall to see what might stick. I would love more Marvel movies but not this kind. I loved Goose, but this was nuts what they did with him. None of it made sense. Give me a good story without the dumbness and wokeness, and I will come!
Not enough supervision? Sounds more like didn’t hire qualified production people.
Nothing wrong with sequels but you have a character that not many people liked, biggest reason first movie well was because how big the Avengers were.
Maybe people are tired of marvel movies but I think it’s more likely people having to do research and watching multiple shows to understand the movie.