While The Marvels appears to be marching towards being MCU’s one of lowest debuts since Disney acquired the brand, it is set to surpass one of the films with the lowest openings till now, The Incredible Hulk, a movie that MCU head Kevin Feige doesn’t necessarily hold all fond memories of.
The estimated opening for the initial three days was around $47 million to $55 million, which would in fact rank the film lower than the Edward Norton movie. However, last-minute promotions following the historic strike may work their magic.
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Can The Marvels Beat The Incredible Hulk in the Box Office Run?
Anticipated as the MCU’s lowest domestic debut, this star-studded high-budget superhero sequel might just exceed expectations slightly, pulling in $60 million to $65 million than its initial estimation of $47 million to $55 million from 4,000 North American theaters during its opening weekend. Nevertheless, this figure would still position the Brie Larson movie among the lowest debuts in MCU history, with the current record held by the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk which opened at a humble $55.4 million.
Luckily, the actors were fortunate that the historic strike concluded at such a moment that allowed them to engage in promotional activities just in time to salvage the film’s reputation. With a bit of luck, the title for the lowest debut in MCU history may just remain with the Edward Norton movie for the time being.
Starting on its North American screening journey, the film garnered a lukewarm $6.6 million from Thursday evening previews. This starkly contrasts with its predecessor, which raked in an impressive $20.7 million in 2019 and went on to amass $153.4 million during its opening weekend. Although The Marvels has avoided the undesirable “Rotten” badge on the rating site Rotten Tomatoes, the overall reception of the movie, at least numbers-wise, doesn’t paint a particularly favorable picture.
Kevin Feige Wants to Forget The Incredible Hulk
Although hate would be a strong word, producer Kevin Feige doesn’t necessarily have many fond memories associated with the film. Perhaps a brush with the lead himself, Edward Norton, contributed to this sentiment. Financially, the movie as previously stated, was also somewhat disappointing, and the events that unfolded behind the scenes ultimately prompted Feige to consider recasting as a viable option.
Speaking to Vulture, he said,
“We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members.”
However, in subsequent interviews, Norton disclosed that despite all the problems, he thoroughly enjoyed the process of making the film.
The Marvels is now playing in theaters.
