Summary
AsThe Marvelsinches closer, early signs indicate a worrying box office opening for the project and a major bump in the road for some of the major MCU players making their big screen debut in the movie.
The Marvelsis a sequel to 2019’sCaptain Marveland a continuation of the 2022 Disney Plus seriesMs. Marvel.It also has to bridge the relationships between Captain Marvel and allies Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau, both making their big-screen debut in the film after debuting in the MCU on Disney Plus. While the film is a bit unconventional for the MCU, Ms. Marvel’s Disney Plus series on Disney Plus helped set up the film with its final episode teaser, and adult Rambeau was introduced to the wider MCU inWandaVision. Despite two other stars joining as co-leads, leading ladyBrie Larson was excited about Captain Marvel’s next adventurein the sequel.
Unfortunately, fans don’t seem to share the enthusiasm for the film, withThe Marvelstrailer being the MCU’s most dislikedon YouTube, and there’s even more bad news on the horizon. According to an analysis by the reference publicationBox Office Pro,The Marvelsis already tracking poorly by MCU standards, with the pre-sales for the film “currently 69 percent behind the pace ofGuardians Vol. 3, 72 percent behindQuantumania, and 42 percent behindEternals." Furthermore, the forecast given forThe Marvelsdomestic total sits between $121 million on the low end and about $189 million on the high end, a far cry from the first film’s $426.8 million domestic and 1.13 billion global, and also lower than the film’s reported budget.
The publication highlights some likely reasons whyThe Marvelsis tracking so poorly, with one of the more optimistic potential stopgaps being theTaylor Swift Eras Tourmovie playing in select theatersand temporarily holding upThe Marvelspre-sales, which should start coming in after the concert movie concludes its run. Less optimistically, the site points to the first film’s success being bolstered by proximity toAvengers: Endgameand highlights a negative trend for the MCU’s post-Endgameperformance, especially afterAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.Also on the list of reasons is the lack of promotion from the film’s stars due to the terms of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike action.
After the lousy performance ofAnt-Man 3and its negative effect on the performance of the otherwise well-receivedGuardians Vol. 3,The Marvelshas a lot to make up for at the box office. The film’s box office performance will also depend on how it fares againstThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesandWishin the weeks immediately following its release, with no clear indication of how that’ll play out. There’s also a lot of pressure on the film narratively becauseThe Marvelsneeds to explore the main characters' relationshipswith depth while delivering action and a sense of scale that properly ties into the rest of the MCU.
While things look bleak regarding box office potential, there is still hope that the film rebounds from the slow start, asreports of shockingly positive test screenings forThe Marvelshave been making the rounds. If the film does resonate with fans to that degree, then the possibility that word of mouth bolsters its performance isn’t too far-fetched. This is all speculation, and fans must wait and see how things will play out.
The Marvelsis set for theatrical release on May 16, 2025.
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