Highlights

  • The box office projections for The Marvels have significantly decreased, suggesting a lower opening weekend compared to other disappointing Marvel movies.
  • Reports of reshoots and negative test screening responses have added to the discouraging news surrounding the sequel.
  • The promo campaign has focused more on past Avengers and X-Men connections, potentially signifying a last-minute attempt to engage fans, rather than highlighting the trio of female leads.

The Marvels' box office projections have plummeted only days before the Captain Marvel sequel hits theaters. If these box office predictions prove correct, The Marvels will have a lower opening weekend than a notable box office disappointment for Marvel Studios.

While Captain Marvel opened to box office success that culminated with a $1 billion-plus worldwide total, The Marvels has been mired by discouraging reports. In addition to claims that The Marvels reshoots and test screening responses did not fare well, Captain Marvel 2 has seen underwhelming box office projections that have not improved as its release date approaches.

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Deadline reports that The Marvels is projected to earn around $60 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office. This is a notable decrease from The Marvels' box office projections of $75-80 million from roughly three weeks ago. Worse yet, tracking services like Quorum predict a less-optimistic domestic opening of $50 million-plus. Overseas, The Marvels is projected to open with $80 million, giving the sequel a worldwide box office debut of roughly $140 million. Conversely, the first Captain Marvel opened with $153.4 million in the U.S. and $456.7 million worldwide.

If these box office projections hold up, The Marvels' worldwide opening weekend gross will fall behind the debuts of Eternals and Black Widow, which respectively opened to $160 million and $148 million globally. Another worrying sign for The Marvels is that its presale numbers are roughly $5 million, on par with The Flash. The Warner Bros. and DC movie is hardly one to emulate, as The Flash was a box office bomb. Adding to the concerning news is the possibility that The Marvels' opening weekend numbers will drop further to $40 million-plus if Thursday previews come in at around $6 million.

Fans believe there are signs that Marvel Studios is worried about The Marvels' box office fortunes this weekend. The recent promos and the final trailer focused on past Avengers teammates and foes and teased a huge X-Men connection in The Marvels. Some fans view this as a desperate last-minute push to engage fans by recalling past successes and hinting at the X-Men finally joining the MCU when the focus should be on the trio of female leads, a long overdue event for any superhero franchise.

While some believe The Marvels is being set up to fail, the lackluster promotional campaign could be partly attributed to the ongoing actors' strike, which has prohibited the cast from promoting the film. Still, The Marvels' box office projections continue a trend of disappointing financial numbers for the MCU that predate the strike. If The Marvels' can earn rave reviews on par with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was a box office success, perhaps it can turn around these low numbers. Otherwise, Marvel Studios is likely preparing for more bad news.

The Marvels will be released in theaters on November 10, 2023.

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Source: Deadline