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The box office projections for The Marvels have significantly decreased, suggesting a lower opening weekend compared to other disappointing Marvel movies.
The sequel has been surrounded by discouraging news, with reports of reshoots and negative test screening responses. The promotional campaign seems to be more focused on past Avengers and X-Men connections, possibly indicating a last-minute effort to engage fans instead of highlighting the trio of female leads.
The box office projections for The Marvels have taken a sharp decline just days before the release of the Captain Marvel sequel. If these predictions are accurate, The Marvels will have a lower opening weekend compared to a previous Marvel Studios film that was considered a disappointment at the box office.
Although Captain Marvel enjoyed a successful box office debut, resulting in over $1 billion worldwide, its sequel has been plagued by discouraging reports. Not only have there been claims of unsatisfactory reshoots and mixed test screening responses for The Marvels, but the film's projected box office performance has been consistently lackluster leading up to its release.
Deadline reports that The Marvels is expected to make approximately $60 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office. This marks a significant decrease from the initial projection of $75-80 million, which was made about three weeks ago. Unfortunately, tracking services like Quorum predict an even less optimistic domestic opening of $50 million or more. On the international front, The Marvels is projected to have an opening of $80 million, resulting in a worldwide box office debut of approximately $140 million. In contrast, the first Captain Marvel film debuted with $153.4 million domestically and $456.7 million worldwide.
Should these box office projections hold true, The Marvels' worldwide opening weekend earnings will fall short compared to Eternals and Black Widow, which had global debuts of $160 million and $148 million, respectively. Furthermore, The Marvels' presale numbers are around $5 million, which is on par with The Flash. The Flash was considered a box office failure, so this is not an encouraging sign. Adding to the concern is the possibility that The Marvels' opening weekend figures may drop even further, possibly reaching $40 million or more if the Thursday previews bring in only around $6 million.
Marvel Studios' alleged concern for the box office performance of The Marvels this weekend is evident through recent promos and the final trailer. These advertisements primarily focus on past Avengers characters and enemies, while teasing a potential X-Men connection in the film. Some fans interpret this as a last-minute attempt to engage viewers by capitalizing on previous successes and hinting at the long-awaited inclusion of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, instead of emphasizing the trio of female leads, which is a significant milestone in any superhero franchise, the attention seems to be diverted elsewhere.
Although some speculate that The Marvels is being set up for failure, the lackluster promotional campaign can be attributed, at least in part, to the ongoing actors' strike. This strike has prohibited the cast from actively promoting the film. Nevertheless, the box office projections for The Marvels continue the trend of underwhelming financial figures for the MCU, predating the strike. The potential turning point for these disappointing results would be if The Marvels received exceptional reviews comparable to the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, if it fails to achieve this, it is likely that Marvel Studios is bracing themselves for further disappointing news.
The Marvels will be released in theaters on November 10, 2023.
Source: Deadline
Editor's P/S
As a Gen Z netizen, I have mixed feelings about the further decline in box office projections for The Marvels. On the one hand, I am disappointed that the film is not meeting expectations and that it may not be as successful as its predecessor. On the other hand, I am also relieved that Marvel Studios is taking steps to address the concerns of fans and is trying to make the film more appealing to a wider audience.
I think it's important to remember that box office projections are not always accurate, and that The Marvels could still be a successful film. However, I am concerned that the film's poor performance could have a negative impact on the MCU as a whole. I hope that Marvel Studios is able to turn things around and that The Marvels is able to find an audience.