Brie Larson’s The Marvels seems poised for a box office disaster. Pre-sales figures for the film are alarmingly low, potentially making it one of the weakest box office openings for a Marvel movie. While there are numerous possible reasons for this poor reception, some fans still suspect a planned attack against the female-oriented movie.
The movie also features Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau / Photon. As these two characters previously appeared in Marvel’s television roles, the general theater audiences may not be aware of these characters so as to anticipate their movie outing.
Brie Larson’s Fans Accuse A Planned Attack Behind The Box Office Numbers
The X account, @Luiz_Fernando_J, who reports on box office numbers, indicated a poor pre-sales record for The Marvels. According to the user, The Marvels has the lowest pre-sales figure for any MCU film and ranks second lowest for any comic book movie post-COVID-19. The movie’s reception within the Marvel community is at an all-time low, with its trailer becoming the most disliked MCU trailer.
Meanwhile in #China’s #BoxOffice, new #MCU film #TheMarvels, locally titled #CaptainMarvel2, started pre-sales this weekend, ahead of its NOV 10 debut, with previews on THU, NOV 9.
But interest has been weak, finishing SUN with $201k 2-day cume for the whole NOV 9-12 period.… pic.twitter.com/vQLeieTcgc— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) November 5, 2023
Numerous factors contribute to the potentially disastrous fate of the film, including competition from other movies, lack of promotion due to ongoing actor strikes, and a declining trend in MCU movies after Phase 3. However, some fans attribute the poor reception to an attack against a female-oriented film. This accusation also has its roots in the Captain Marvel debacle, during which Brie Larson was heavily trolled on social media.
Fans took to X to express their thoughts on this accusation, with some pointing their fingers at toxic behavior by certain individuals. However, some dismissed these accusations stating that the issue lies more in poor marketing rather than the gender factor. Some fan reactions included:
The way MEN are writing these articles as if there isn’t an actors strike happening right now that prevents promotions is wildly insane. Who actually respects critics anyways.
— P (@p_blade_2) November 6, 2023
Maybe they should try and market the movie 🤔 just a thought.
— 🌜Energy🌛 (@heheEnergy) November 6, 2023
People just hate female superheroes. Why is that?
— Carl Nwakakwa (SPIDER MORALES AND MGADD FAN) (@NwakakwaCarl) November 5, 2023
Which was expected honestly 😭 hope the movie good tho, im not excited for it I just want it to shut up the haters 💀
— Kimestu💮 (@Kuriza815) November 6, 2023
So, I hate to say this but the action movie audience is still very male-dominated. I think the Marvels movie box office is going to suffer from being too female super hero dominated. Even the fairly unknown villain is female as well. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think so.
— DMV Swinger (@DmvStagvixen) November 6, 2023
Interestingly, the first Brie Larson movie, Captain Marvel, fared far better with its theatrical collection, even crossing the billion-dollar mark. However, the film received severe backlash after Larson’s political statements and Marvel’s attempt to establish Carol Danvers as the strongest Avenger.
The Problem With Brie Larson’s The Marvels
The Marvels’ early estimates predict that it will collect somewhere between $121 million and $189 million at the domestic box office. These figures fall short of the first film’s domestic gross of $426.8 million, and even below the film’s budget. Currently, the lowest-grossing MCU film, The Incredible Hulk, grossed a total of $264 million, though it was released before Marvel had a strong fan base.
The lousy performance of Ant-Man 3 has had the biggest negative impact on the film, besides the strikes. Ant-Man 3 began its run with high expectations but ended up doing a business of just $476.3 million at the box office. The successfully running Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie and the upcoming releases like The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Wish also pose a significant threat to The Marvels.
The only ray of hope for the film right now is the surprisingly positive test screenings. However, the fate of Blue Beetle, despite its positive reception, raises additional concerns for this comic book movie. The Marvels is set to hit theaters on November 10.
