Madame Web Global Box Office Performance Trails Behind MCU's Lowest Opening Weekend
Madame Web has just edged past Morbius in box office numbers, still striving to catch up with the MCU's weakest opening weekend record.
The box office numbers for the new superhero movie Madame Web, featuring Dakota Johnson as a clairvoyant paramedic, are still not as high as the record-low opening for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This franchise is loosely connected to the Sony Spider-Man Universe. Initially, there were doubts about whether the movie would surpass the opening weekend earnings of the previous SSU film, Morbius. Morbius faced challenges in 2022, with a flop at the box office followed by a viral resurgence on social media, leading to a re-release. However, by week 3, Madame Web did manage to outgross Morbius’ opening weekend earnings, both domestically ($39 million) and worldwide ($83.9 million).
According to Deadline, despite surpassing Morbius’ opening numbers, Madame Web is projected to reach only $91 million globally by the end of its third weekend in theaters. This falls short of the lowest-ever global opening weekend for an MCU film from Marvel Studios, set by 2023’s The Marvels at $110.3 million. The movie, which had a production cost of $80 million, still has a long way to go before breaking even. To end up in profit, it would likely need to earn $160 million or more at the box office.
2024 Can Still Undo This Major Superhero Box Office Fatigue
Dakota Johnson's Cassandra Webb on a train in Madame Web - 2024 Can Still Undo This Major Superhero Box Office Fatigue
Despite the recent disappointing Madame Web release, superhero movies in general have been facing a decline in box office returns. The Marvels, for example, is the lowest-grossing movie in the MCU, following a weak performance by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. On the DC side, the transition to the DC Universe in 2025 comes after a string of underperforming films, with seven out of nine of the worst-performing movies released between 2020 and the present.
However, there may be hope on the horizon for the superhero genre. Several highly anticipated sequels are set to be released in 2024, including Deadpool & Wolverine in July, Joker: Folie à Deux in October, and Venom 3 in November. If these films can match or exceed the success of their predecessors, they could inject some much-needed excitement and revenue into the industry. Take a look at how previous movies in these subfranchises have fared:
Title | Reported Budget | Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|---|
Deadpool (2016) | $58 million | $782.6 million |
Deadpool 2 (2018) | $110 million | $734.5 million |
Joker (2019) | ~$70 million | $1.08 billion |
Venom (2018) | ~$116 million | $856 million |
Venom: Let There be Carnage (2021) | $110 million | $506.9 million |
Other superhero movies may not have the same success, such as the upcoming Sony Spider-Man Universe film Kraven the Hunter, set to be released in August. It is uncertain if this movie will perform poorly like Morbius and Madame Web did in the past. Despite this uncertainty, with these three major titles in the lineup, it appears that the superhero genre will have more reasons to rejoice than to worry by the conclusion of 2024.
Source: Deadline
Editor's P/S:
The box office performance of "Madame Web" highlights the challenges facing the superhero genre. Despite its connection to the popular Spider-Man franchise, the film has underperformed, raising concerns about superhero fatigue among audiences. The decline in box office returns for Marvel and DC films suggests that the genre may be in need of a refresh. However, the upcoming releases of highly anticipated sequels in 2024 offer a glimmer of hope, hinting at the potential for a resurgence of excitement and revenue for the industry.
The success or failure of these sequels will be crucial in determining the future of the superhero genre. If they manage to match or exceed the performance of their predecessors, they could revitalize interest in superhero films and bring about a much-needed boost to the industry. However, if they underperform, it could further erode audience confidence and lead to a continued decline in box office returns. The coming year will be a pivotal one for the superhero genre, with the potential to either reignite its former glory or mark a further decline in its popularity.
