In a surprising turn of events, box office projections for the opening weekend of Marvel Studios’ upcoming film, The Marvels, are plummeting.
The Marvels, which is a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel as well as the Disney+ series WandaVision and Ms. Marvel, is no longer projected to earn between $75 million and $80 million in its opening weekend. Tracking services now estimate that the film will earn around $60 million in the US. Quorum, for instance, has lowered their estimates to $50 million+.
This projection places the domestic opening for The Marvels on par with Ant-Man’s ($57.2 million), which is significantly lower than Eternals ($71.2 million). A film which critics consider a misfire for Marvel Studios. Likewise, the global projection for the sequel currently sits at $80 million. This means the film is projected to gross a total of $140 million in its opening weekend. This is lower than the worldwide debut of Eternals ($160 million). Furthermore, Deadline is “cautious that internationals could come in lower.” Meaning the film might gross lower than projected in the international market.
Marvel Studios, on its part, is doing its best to drum up some last-minute buzz for the film. The studio released its final trailer last night. The trailer attempts to connect with the general audience by emphasizing The Marvels connection to the overall Avengers canon. As well as showcasing a cameo by Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie. However, there is no way of knowing if this had a positive effect.
Watch the final trailer below:
In addition, media screenings for the film will begin today, with its review embargo lifting Wednesday at 9 a.m. PST. Positive reviews and a high Rotten Tomatoes score may also positively impact its opening weekend numbers.
The Marvels follows Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, who has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels.