When Marvel Studios first floated the idea of bringing their first female superhero stand-alone movie, not many fans were on board. However, ever since hitting the big screen as Carol Danvers, a former Air Force pilot and intelligence agent, Brie Larson has been proving doubters wrong.
At the box office, Captain Marvel grossed more than $1 billion, and in the storyline of Avengers: Endgame, Larson’s character emerged as one of the strongest MCU superheroes. Her contribution to the fight against Thanos also became a big subject in the Disney+ television series Ms. Marvel. However, ahead of The Marvels release, predictions for the sequel to Captain Marvel paint a bleak picture for Marvel Studios and indicate Warbird’s star power is fading.
Brie Larson’s The Marvels Is Predicted to Earn Less Than Two Disappointing MCU Movies
On paper, a Marvel-backed movie featuring an important figure like Brie Larson‘s Carol Danvers should be attracting glittering smash box office predictions. The female-oriented movie will see Captain Marvel’s powers entangled with those of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), forcing them to work together to save the universe amid the worrying rise of revolutionary Kree warrior, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton).
However, as we edge closer to the movie’s release – penciled in for this Friday – projections for The Marvels are plummeting faster than the speed of The Flash.
As per a report in Deadline, The Marvels, which has been made at a massive budget of $270 million, is expected to collect around $60M in its opening weekend in North America. Just a few weeks ago, tracking services were forecasting its collection to be in the range of $75M-$80M.
Such an opening would put Larson’s movie below Eternals ($71.2M). Overseas projections are no better for the Nia DaCosta-directed movie, as it’s expected to earn around $80M. The total gross of $140M will also mean a failure to overtake Black Widow ($148M).
Angelina Jolie‘s Eternals is considered one of the MCU’s most disappointing works to date, while Black Widow struggled to tackle COVID-related issues in 2021. As such, the failure to outshine these two movies would be a big blow for Larson’s film.
Read more: Brie Larson’s The Marvels Co-Star May Have a Bigger Role in Avengers 6 Than Captain Marvel
How Kevin Feige Compared Brie Larson’s Movie to the Avengers
Tracking services might not be that optimistic about The Marvels, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is seemingly very excited about the idea of so many superheroes joining hands.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Feige equated the superheroes from Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and WandaVision sharing the screen with how the Avengers came together in the 2012 blockbuster. He said:
“[The Marvels is] picking up directly after the end of Captain Marvel 1, not in timeline but in story. We also do that in our upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion, and those are two very different follow-ups to that movie. Tonally, they couldn’t be more different. But there’s something immensely powerful about seeing Monica and Kamala and Carol together in a frame. To me, it’s only akin to the first Avengers movie and seeing the six of them together in a frame. It’s chill-inducing. They’re so great together, and they all have different histories with one another.”
Feige will certainly hope viewers share his excitement after watching The Marvels, as another financial disappointment could raise a lot of questions – including the studios’ strategy to deal with superhero fatigue – on the MCU’s dominance at the box office.
Read more: The Marvels Review: Silly Moments Shine in Mostly Fun Romp
