Summary

  • The Marvels has broken a series of disappointing box office records for Marvel Studios, including becoming the lowest-grossing MCU movie ever.
  • The Marvels is the only MCU movie not to earn $100 million domestically, grossing only $83.4 million, and failed to outgross its own production costs.
  • Nevertheless, The Marvels has gone on to become the highest-grossing movie ever led by a Black female director, Nia DaCosta.

Since its release on November 10, 2023, Captain Marvel's future in the MCU uncertain.

With the help of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and the crew of the SABER Space Station, The Marvels' titular trio fought Dar-Benn after realizing that their light-based abilities had become entangled, causing them to switch places every time their powers were used simultaneously. The fast-paced The Marvels has performed abysmally at the global box office, culminating in the Phase 5 film breaking a number of Marvel Studios records that no project wants to be associated with.

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Marvels cast and charecter guide
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As the sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel, The Marvels brings Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris together for the first time as a new MCU team.

The Marvels Is The MCU's Lowest Grossing Movie Ever

On a budget of $274.8 million, The Marvels has grossed a total of $202.6 million at the box office, as of December 13, 2023 (via The Marvels the lowest-grossing MCU project since the franchise began. This record was previously held by The Incredible Hulk, which totaled $264.8 million in 2008. On December 3, Variety noted during The Marvels' fourth weekend that Disney would stop reporting on the film's box office results, after making only $6.4 million in its third weekend, and $2.4 million in its fourth. This has been a shocking result for The Marvels, especially after 2019's Captain Marvel brought in a whopping $1.131 billion.

As the lowest-grossing MCU project, The Marvels falls behind 2008's The Incredible Hulk, which totaled $264.8 million, 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, which brought in $370.6 million, and 2021's Black Widow, which grossed $379.8 million, but released during the COVID-19 pandemic in theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously.

The Marvels Is The Only MCU Movie Not To Earn $100m Domestically

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel using her power to swap places in The Marvels

As noted in a December 2023 report by The Marvels was projected to make between $121-189 million at the domestic box office. While this still would have been a lackluster result for Marvel Studios, the Phase 5 film's actual total tells a far more dire story, though many viewers consider this to be a surprise.

The Marvels Had The Lowest Opening Weekend In MCU History

Monica Rambeau (Teyonnah Parris) touching a jump point at the start of The Marvels

In the United States and Canada, The Marvels was projected to bring in around $60 million during its opening weekend. However, following $6.6 million at Thursday night previews, and $21.3 million on its first full day, these projections were dropped to between $47-52 million. The Marvels went on to debut with $46.1 million during its opening weekend, topping the box office, but marking the lowest opening weekend for any MCU project. This is mostly attributed to the lack of promotion of the project due to 2023's WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The SAG-AFTRA strike came to an end the day before The Marvels' release, leaving hardly enough time for appropriate promotion.

The Marvels Had The Biggest Second-Weekend Drop In The MCU

Following its disappointing opening weekend, The Marvels then went on to experience the biggest second-weekend drop not just in the MCU, but for any modern-day Hollywood superhero film. The Marvels dropped 78% in its second weekend, according to Variety, totaling only $10.2 million, with the film dropping from the top of the box office to fourth place behind The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Trolls Band Together and Thanksgiving. In of superhero films from the contemporary era, this result tied The Marvels with 1997's Steel, which also experienced a 78% second-weekend drop, and was even worse than 2022's reviled Morbius, which saw a drop of 74%.

The Marvels Is The Only MCU Movie Not To Recoup Its Production Costs

Dar-Benn with both Quantum Bands in The Marvels

During a report on The Marvels' unfortunate record breaks for Marvel Studios, Forbes also noted that The Marvels is the only MCU project in history not to earn Marvel Studios back its production costs. Mentioning that this is "a bar that most MCU films have easily cleared, often several times over," Forbes brings to light the fact that many of the MCU's previous projects have quickly outgrossed production costs, leading to a hefty profit for Marvel Studios and Disney. The Marvels has failed to do so, being marked as a box office bomb, while other recent projects, such as 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, have failed to break even.

The Marvels Was The Fastest MCU Movie To Drop From The Top 5

Captain Marvel flying her ship in The Marvels

While The Marvels had fallen to number four at the box office in its second weekend, following its monumental 78% drop, its third weekend told an even more tragic story. Grossing $6.4 million, The Marvels dropped to number six, and became the quickest MCU project in history to exit the domestic top five. Previously, 2008's The Incredible Hulk, 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger and 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp each held this record, taking four weeks to drop from the top five. The poor audience turnout for The Marvels meant that it fell off the radar very quickly, prompting Disney's decision to halt reporting on the film's box office.

The Marvels Had The Biggest Opening Weekend Ever For A Black Female Director

The drama of The Marvels' disappointing box office record breaks has caused many to ignore or miss one more-positive broken record. Totaling $46.1 million domestically in its opening weekend, The Marvels marked the highest opening weekend for a Black female director in history. In fact, The Marvels has gone on to become the highest-grossing film directed by a Black woman, with Nia DaCosta's MCU installment suring 2018's A Wrinkle in Time, which totaled $133.2 million at the box office. While this tells a sorrier story of Black recognition in Hollywood, this does help to put a positive spin on The Marvels - something that the Phase 5 film desperately needed.