Marvel Studios’ most recent release, “The Marvels,” made its debut on Nov. 10. Before it hit theaters, the movie was already forecasted to be a commercial disappointment and projected to reach only $60 million at the box office on opening weekend.
“The Marvels” was even more disappointing than expected. Its debut marked the lowest-grossing opening weekend in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), bringing in about $47 million at the domestic box office. Considering it was a sequel to 2019’s “Captain Marvel,” which earned over $153.4 million domestically, the fall-off is staggering.
2023 was generally a rough year for Marvel Studies. It was marked by a series of underwhelming releases like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Secret Invasion,” setting the stage for what turned out to be a fun but unimpressive finale for the year.
The 33rd installment in the MCU, which follows the superhero trio Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) as they save the universe from the new leader of the Kree empire, received mixed audience reactions.
Some loved the silly energy permeating throughout the story, and the chemistry between the leads was undeniably powerful. There was also an epic scene involving some kittens. The appearance of the renowned Korean actor Park Seo-Joon as Prince Yan was a highlight for Korean drama enthusiasts.
“I believe that ‘The Marvels’ is worth watching. It wasn’t comparable to past Marvel movies, but it was certainly one of the better releases of this year since there was good pacing, storyline, and a great dynamic between Monica, Carol, and Kamala,” said Carlmont senior Kelvin Smith.
Overall, though, the reviews demonstrate a lack of fan enthusiasm. The movie currently scores 62% on Rotten Tomatoes and is one of the only three MCU releases to receive a B-level CinemaScore.
Critics noted that the movie may have met expectations, but certainly did not exceed them. While it was not an awful watch, it was nothing spectacular.
“The scenes were all over the place, and a lot of the characters aren’t really developed,” said Carlmont freshman Keonie Lam. “Considering how short it was, I feel like they cut out a lot of material that could have made it seem a lot more intentional and significant.”
After hearing what others had to say, some Marvel fans did not bother seeing the movie in theaters at all.
“I honestly just read what happened on Reddit. I do not have the patience to watch another Marvel movie that I know will be bad. The only thing that even seems remotely good is the fight scenes, from what someone explained to me,” said Carlmont senior Kevin De Souza.
It’s been just four years since the release of “Avengers: Endgame,” a thrilling culmination of what Marvel had been building up to since “Iron Man” in 2008. Since then, Marvel Studios has consistently released films in theatres in addition to multiple Disney+ miniseries.
The goal was to continue expanding the MCU and set up the next wave of superheroes and conflicts, but it is evident that fans are tired of Marvel Studios pumping movies that are just so-so.
“There’s been an overall decline in quality when it comes to Marvel these days,” Lam said. “The actors seem like they are obviously following a script, the characters are poorly developed, and most of the time the plot feels directionless.”
With the quality of the films compromised, fans have lost the desire to keep up.
“I’ve lost interest in the MCU. This doesn’t mean I quit watching Marvel media altogether, but rather I just watch whichever one I feel like instead of every single new release,” De Souza said. “I got superhero fatigue after ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ It was the end of an era. After that, they had to start a new saga but the reality was that not everyone wanted to continue anymore.”
It’s impossible to know where the MCU is headed. There are always post-credits scenes at the end of every movie teasing whatever comes next, and Marvel confirmed that “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” will arrive in theaters in 2026, but the general direction still seems chaotic and unclear.
Currently, there is no denying that the MCU is on a downward trajectory. It is difficult for any movie to reach the same success as “Avengers: Endgame,” but the latest releases have not even cut close to what Marvel once was.
“I miss the old Marvel. A lot of the most iconic characters and actors are gone. The action, plot, storyline, and characters were all very well developed, and I felt like I could empathize with them. The scripts back then were also less corny, and they were just more enjoyable,” Lam said.
Still, the MCU may be salvageable. The fanbase, though perhaps growing disinterested in Marvel Studios’ current endeavors, still exists. Well-planned, high-quality installments will undoubtedly captivate the interest of movie-goers and bring back some of the Marvel magic.
“If Marvel wants to make a comeback, they’ll need to have more consistent movies that are produced with quantity over quality,” Smith said.
