Bomb?: ‘The Marvels’ Now Tracking at Very Weak $45 Million Opening

Recent box-office tracking for “The Marvels” had already pointed at a disappointing opening weekend, but what I’m now hearing is far worse than anyone could have imagined.

Some analysts had originally believed that a $55M - $75M domestic debut would occur for “The Marvels,” but I’m being told that the latest internal numbers actually point to a $45M-$50M 3-day opening. Yikes.

Most MCU movies open with around $100 million, but it looks like “The Marvels” will be that rare exception.

“The Marvels” tickets pre-sales have indeed been disastrous, and the weakest for any MCU movie in the post-Covid era. There is just not much audience interest for the Brie Larson starring ‘Marvels’ and it’s certainly had Disney in total panic mode.

Disney spent over $270 million on “The Marvels,” and that’s not even counting marketing costs. Sure, good reviews could slightly bump up these numbers, but what I’ve also been hearing is that the movie isn’t good.

What could help “The Marvels” is that it’s going to be playing on a slew of IMAX screens come opening weekend. The original “Captain Marvel” opened with $153 million and benefited from IMAX. The sequel stars three female leads, including Larson, and is being directed by Nia DaCosta.

This is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 33rd feature film. DaCosta is one of four credited writers on the screenplay, along with Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik, and Zeb Wells. You almost never get a single person writing the screenplay for an MCU movie.

Many will undoubtedly point to the usual “superhero fatigue” excuse, and it’s definitely a factor, but the fact remains that the most popular superheroes (Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk) are no longer part of the MCU. There is far less interest in Marvel movies because of that.

“The Marvels” hits theaters on November 10th, with the review embargo lifting on the 8th. Some major spoilers have already begun to leak out including fully detailed descriptions of the post-credits scene.

‘Alpha Gang’ First Look: Cate Blanchett Leads the Zellners’ Bizarre 1950s Alien Biker Gang

Alongside Blanchett, the film features a wildly eclectic ensemble including Dave Bautista, Lily-Rose Depp, Riley Keough, Léa Seydoux, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Chris Pine

‘Dungeons & Dragons 2’ Is Being Shopped to Other Studios After Paramount Passed on the Sequel

The film grossed only $205M against a $150M budget, losing Paramount a significant amount of money. It did, however, gain a decent following on streaming, but the financial risk for a sequel is ever-present.

Did Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’ Use AI to Recreate Margaret Thatcher?

Thatcher shows up on-screen for, at most, 10 seconds. She looks remarkably like Thatcher and comes off as almost too polished, non-human like. Further clues are pointing at AI.

Vin Diesel Now Teasing He Might Direct ‘Fast Forever’

Ah, yes — the neverending saga of the next ‘Fast & Furious’ movie, which has been plagued by delays, and Universal demanding Vin Diesel cut the budget by almost $150M.

John Malkovich Gives the Performance of His Career in Martin McDonagh’s ‘Wild Horse Nine’ [Venice]

Malkovich, a two-time Oscar nominee, fought back tears while the audience cheered him, which has become a first-stop tradition to kick-start an Oscar campaign — tears need to be shed!

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Good/Great Movies That Don't Deserve Their “Rotten" Scores

These 31 titles clearly have their share of detractors — that’s why they’re “rotten” — and I expect some people to question a few of these picks. That’s fine. However, I believe most are strong films, worth reevaluating.

‘Dune: Part Three’ Reportedly “Blew Away" Warner Bros. With Rough 3-Hour Cut as New Teaser Stuns

Today, “Dune: Part Three” tickets went on sale, this time non-premium formats were made available, and it was all accompanied by a brand-new teaser—and the footage is stunning.

What is David Fincher’s Best Film? 100+ Critics Say, No Contest, It’s ‘Zodiac’

We managed to gather 118 ballots from critics, programmers, filmmakers, and scholars. Each was asked to submit a single title, the one they believe to be the best of Fincher’s filmography.

Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Glimpses of the Moon’ (Apparently) Starts Production This Month in Italy

Coppola has described “Glimpses” as a “strange 30s-style musical.” No cast has been announced. The film is a loose adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel, “inspired” by Leo McCarey’s “The Awful Truth.”

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

Trending

Critics Polls