The latest MCU release The Marvels finally arrived in theaters to mixed reviews from the critics while the audience scores have been mostly positive.
However, the box office projections prior to the release have suggested that the film might end up being a disappointment, which is unheard of in any MCU film since they've always had solid box office runs regardless of the critical reception of their films.
It also doesn't help that there's a narrative right now that the MCU is a troubled franchise due to the underwhelming reception of some of their recent releases and reports that Marvel Studios is having a lot of behind-the-scenes issues.
Now, we finally have the word on the sequel's opening weekend box office and, unfortunately, it was a misfire as warned by the projections.
Also Read: The Marvels Review: A Fun Yet Flawed MCU Cosmic Adventure
The Marvels Bombs on Its Opening Weekend Box Office
According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Marvels only earned an estimated $47 million on its opening weekend box office, making it the lowest opening ever for an MCU film.
Its international opening wasn't helpful either as it only $63.3 million from 51 countries. Overall, it had a global start of $110.3 million which is also a disappointment and an all-time low record as well.
The film reportedly has a $200 million production budget and it may now have a tough time recouping it if its box office run continues to be dismal in the coming weeks. The Incredible Hulk previously held the record for having the lowest MCU opening with $55.4 million when it was released in 2008.
It is also unknown yet if word-of-mouth will help the film's sustainability since it received a CinemaScore of B. There is no doubt that this is a bad start for the MCU release, which is a situation that they haven't been accustomed to.
There are a lot of factors that we can consider regarding why the film ended up bombing on its opening weekend. Some would argue that it's all because of superhero fatigue since the other comic book movie releases this year also have underwhelming box office performances.
However, it should also be pointed out that the film's marketing was suffering from the lack of stars promoting it since the actors' strike was happening during the majority of it.
The cast members were only able to start promoting the film last minute since the actors' strike ended just days before it was released in theaters. Despite their efforts, it was too late to possibly affect its box office trajectory.
This is definitely a concerning situation since this shows that the MCU is no longer bulletproof from being a major box office misfire and this could be the wakeup for Marvel Studios to actually fix its current issues and save the franchise for the next few years to keep into the right direction.
The Marvels is showing in theaters everywhere.
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