A record-breakingly low turnout for the opening weekend of “The Marvels” is yet another example of “superhero fatigue” as the big-budget films struggle at the box office.
Topline
The latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe broke a franchise record for the worst ever domestic opening weekend, missing initial predictions by tens of millions and possibly signaling the beginning of the end for the superhero genre that has long been synonymous with high-flying box office success.Key Facts
The Marvels, a sequel to Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, grossed $47 million in its opening weekend to become the lowest-earning film in franchise history, according to Box Office Mojo, coming in well behind Universal Pictures’ The Incredible Hulk’s $55.4 million opening in 2008 (equivalent to about $71.8 million today) and Ant-Man’s $57.2 million opening in July of 2015.
The movie didn’t even make a third of what Captain Marvel made in its opening weekend in 2019 ($153.4 million) and significantly missed its initial projections of $75 million and $80 million domestically, according to CNBC.
The fall off from the first Captain Marvel film to its sequel is the steepest Disney’s Marvel franchise has ever seen—Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
