“The Marvels” will set a new record for the worst opening weekend in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the sequel to 2019’s “Captain Marvel” posted an anemic $21.3 million Friday total and is heading towards a $48 million domestic launch from 4,030 theaters, according to industry estimates.
The poor start breaks the futility record for Marvel Studios set all the way back during its first year in 2008 by “The Incredible Hulk,” which opened to $55.4 million before inflation adjustment.
For a far more recent comparison, “The Marvels” has fallen below the $55 million opening earn this past summer by the DC film “The Flash,” which went on to gross just $270 million worldwide and is regarded as one of if not the biggest box office bomb of 2023.
And just like “The Flash,” “The Marvels” has earned a B from opening night audiences on CinemaScore, a tepid result for superhero movies that has regularly signaled poor box office performance in the weekends to come.
The MCU has not been without success this year, as the well-received “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” turned in a strong $845.5 million global box office total this past May. But between the lackluster $476 million run of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” the poor reception of the Disney+ series “Secret Invasion,” and now this weak start for “The Marvels,” 2023 has turned out to be the worst year for this once-unstoppable franchise.
