Is interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the decline? According to early analytics, Marvel Studios’ The Marvels is tracking for a $75M-$80M opening weekend. This amount is roughly 50% below the opening total for 2019’s Captain Marvel, a film that, despite protests from specific spectators in the superhero community, grossed $153M during its 3-day debut, with a final total of $1.1B+ worldwide, at the end of its theatrical run.
While naysayers are quick to point toward a lack of interest in a Captain Marvel sequel, the most significant reason for the low numbers is thanks to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which prevents the stars of the film from participating in press tours. Marvel Studios could not promote The Marvels during San Diego Comic-Con or the recent New York City Comic-Con. Those events are where crowds of Marvel fans gather to celebrate their favorite heroes and feel the hype for upcoming film and television projects.
While the numbers don’t lie, sources say some MCU audiences (primarily men and women under 35) are not connecting with the Captain Marvel character. After studying the analysis, The Marvels is pacing behind other Marvel films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
As we’re still a few weeks away from the release of The Marvels, these lackluster numbers could easily change, but it doesn’t look like the movie will enjoy the same success as its predecessor. November also brings a lot of competition; the week after the premiere of The Marvels will see the release of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Trolls Band Together, Next Goal Wins, and Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, followed by Wish, Napoleon, and Maestro the week after.
“In Marvel Studios’ The Marvels, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence,” reads the official synopsis. “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. “
In addition to Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, The Marvels also stars Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. The Marvels will hit theaters on November 10th.