Movie superhero fatigue?
Bad marketing? The strike? Lack of publicity> Or just a bad movie?
“The Marvels” is now the lowest opening weekend for Marvel Pictures, including Universal’s “The Incredible Hulk,” with $47 million.
With a cost of at least $275 million, “The Marvels” will remain a stain on the company’s previous record of mega hit after hit.
“The Marvels” made $100 million less than its predecessor, “Captain Marvel.” That is a record for a sequel.
Is “The Marvels” so terrible that no one should see it? No. But it’s not an Event film. It doesn’t break new ground or have a plot twist or surprise for the Marvel audience that alters their fan world. It’s just…a nice film with good special effects. It hasn’t shaken up the world to get people into theaters in any massive way.
That may be the problem.
Now Marvel faces bigger problems as the whole next series of “Avengers” movies is imperiled by the upcoming trial of actor Jonathan Majors. Majors was supposed to anchor the next three films as the villainous Kang. But his trial for domestic abuse next month has sidelined the whole enterprise.
It’s unclear if Majors being found not guilty of the charges will make a difference. The damage may already be done. If he is innocent, and the Kang project is totally cancelled, it would be a shame for him. But it would also demonstrate that studios, having learned the lesson of Ezra Miller and “The Flash,” are going to protect themselves first.
