This is not the news that Marvel Studios wanted to hear. All signs were pointing to The Marvels underperforming during its opening weekend, especially considering all the things working against it, but the film came in even lower than tracking suggested and now the MCU may have its first legit flop on its hands.
The Marvels grossed $46.1 million over the weekend, which was even lower than the $47 million that was originally estimated. Even factoring in its $110 million global start, this is the lowest debut in the history of the MCU at the box office. The movie had begun its tracking journey in the $80 million range but that dropped to $60-65 million during the week of its release. That still would’ve been well below the $153.4 million start of Captain Marvel back in 2019 but, to be fair, that was a much different time and it was the last standalone film to be released before the monster that was Avengers: Endgame.
There is going to be a lot of finger-pointing in regards to what went wrong here. The biggest culprit was the SAG-AFTRA strike which prevented the film’s stars from promoting the film. Even though that all ended after 118 days and two days before the wide release of the film, it really wasn’t enough time for a true media blitz to get the leads out there. That’s not to say that they didn’t try. Brie Larson was booked on The Tonight Show by the film’s opening on Friday and Iman Vellani, who plays Ms. Marvel, made a surprise appearance at a screening in Los Angeles. There was as much effort as they could put in but it was a case of too little, too late.
Reviews actually weren’t as dismal as originally suggested when the film debuted to a 54 percent rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes. That has since improved to a fresh score of 62 percent and its audience score of 84 percent does sound encouraging but it’s the CinemaScore that shows signs of trouble. The Marvels scored a “B”, which is on the low end for the MCU. With The Hungers Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes opening this weekend, The Marvels is going to be tossed aside for the latest tentpole and lukewarm word of mouth won’t help the film in the weeks ahead. That being said, let’s not end this on a down note. The $110 million global opening is the best debut for a black female director at the box office. This is a feat that shouldn’t be overlooked or ignored.
Falling to second place is Five Nights at Freddy’s with a gross of $8.9 million, down 52.6 percent from the previous weekend. The film has seen some steep drops since its massive $80 million opening as the film hasn’t caught on much beyond the rabid fanbase but that’s not really a problem. The movie cost $20 million to make and was profitable by the end of its first weekend. Throw in however it’s doing on Peacock, and Blumhouse and Universal Pictures should be very happy with its performance. To date, the film has grossed $128.3 million domestically and $255.7 million worldwide.
In third, we find Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which is still singing a tune with a gross of $6 million, down 55.2 percent from last weekend. That’s one of the film’s biggest drops to date as it seems the Swifties are awaiting the brand new thing that Swift has in store for them down the line. Again, it should be noted that all of the money it has grossed so far is from pure weekend business and that’s an impressive feat. To date, The Eras Tour has grossed $177.2 million domestically and $241.6 million worldwide.
Maintaining fourth place is Priscilla, which has the best hold in the top five with a gross of $4.7 million, down just 4.9 percent from its wider expansion last weekend. The film added 1,002 locations to its theater count this weekend so that explains the scant drop but should it keep performing like this, the film will end up being one of Sofia Coppola’s best box office performers. To date, the film has grossed $12.7 million.
Rounding out the top five is Killers of the Flower Moon with a gross of $4.5 million. That’s a drop of 33.3 percent and one of the film’s better holds. Again, despite the $200 million budget, the film is a bigger means to an end for Apple. It’s not the disaster that some other outlets are making it out to be. To date, The film has grossed $60 million domestically and $138 million worldwide.
What are your thoughts on this weekend’s box office results? Check back next week when The Hunger Games prequel, Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, and Trolls Band Together all enter the box office marketplace.
Hello! My name is Gaius Bolling: movie, TV, and pop culture junkie! The industry has been in my veins since I was a kid and I have carried that on through adulthood. I attended Los Angeles Film Academy and participated in their screenwriting and editing program. From there, I have learned to hone my skills in the world of entertainment journalism. Some of my favorite genres include horror, action, and drama and I hope to share my love of all of this with you.
