The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest offering, “The Marvels,” is facing a less than stellar forecast for its opening weekend at the box office. Initial projections had placed the film’s potential earnings at around $80 million in the U.S., but recent updates from Deadline have slashed these estimates significantly. The new figures suggest that “The Marvels” may only garner around $60 million, with some predictions dipping as low as $50 million.
This downturn in expected revenue comes despite the film’s substantial production budget of $200 million, excluding marketing costs. To put this in perspective, last November’s Marvel release, “Eternals,” pulled in $71.2 million during its opening weekend. In contrast, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie recently debuted to an $80 million opening on a modest $20 million budget.
Pre-sales for “The Marvels” are currently around $5 million, comparable to the pre-sale figures for DC’s “The Flash,” which ultimately was considered a commercial disappointment with a $55 million opening in the U.S. In a bid to drum up excitement, the latest trailer for “The Marvels” featured appearances by iconic characters such as Iron Man and Captain America, as well as Valkyrie, in what Deadline referred to as a “Hail Mary” effort from Marvel.
The film’s promotional challenges are compounded by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which has prevented its stars, including Brie Larson, from participating in the usual promotional activities. Reviews for “The Marvels” are set to start appearing online shortly, which may influence the film’s commercial trajectory.
In other Marvel-related news, Insomniac’s new PS5 game “Spider-Man 2” has been released and is achieving impressive sales figures.
Discover how Captain Marvel, Photon and Ms. Marvel come together in The Marvels: Read our in-depth review of the Marvel superhero team-up film.
