Expectations for “The Marvels” opening weekend have been greatly lowered, going from an estimated $75-$80 million in projected ticket sales to just $60-$65 million.
The female-led superhero movie is a sequel to the 2019 film “Captain Marvel.” The Brie Larson-led Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie opened to $153.4 million in North America and eventually raked in $1.13 billion worldwide, per The Hollywood Reporter. But “The Marvels” isn’t expected to come anywhere close to those numbers.
The publication notes that these lackluster predictions are being blamed on a lack of promotion due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which has been tentatively resolved, and overall superhero fatigue. It notes that the DC film “The Flash” had a poor showing in June despite all the hype, with a $55 million opening weekend domestically and just $270.6 million overall in earnings.
But not everyone is sick of superhero movies. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” another Marvel effort, had a $106 opening earlier this year and ultimately grossed $845.6 million globally.
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Due to declining projections, Marvel and its parent company, Disney, changed their marketing campaign to entice more would-be viewers. A new trailer that stressed the film’s connection to the “Avengers” franchise was released just before the premiere. The sneak peek also teased that Valkyrie, a fan-favorite character from “Thor,” would be in the movie.
“The Marvels” has three female leads. The studio is also touting that it’s the first Marvel film with a black female director, Nia DaCosta. At 34, she’s also the youngest director of an MCU film, according to THR.
Per the film’s description: “Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her 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 two other superheroes to form the Marvels.”
The lowest opening of a Marvel movie was “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), which brought in $55.4 million, not adjusted for inflation. The second lowest was “Ant-Man,” which earned $57.2 million domestically in 2015.