The latest box office projections for The Marvels provide a disappointing outlook for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe outing, even putting it well behind Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Despite quickly evolving into a cinematic juggernaut with few equals, the MCU has increasingly struggled to maintain the momentum of its earlier days since the release 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Though some later MCU movies would continue to achieve box office success, other franchise entries like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania would fall well short of their anticipated break-even points.

According to new box office predictions provided by Box Office Pro, The Marvel’s upcoming November 10 release is already facing a potential shortfall, with its initial domestic opening expected to generate between $50 million and $75 million, less than half of $153.4 million opening enjoyed by 2019’s Captain Marvel. Further adding to the movie’s predicted woes, presales are down 69% behind the pace of those sold for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and 72% behind Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

What The Marvels' Early Box Office Projections Mean For The MCU

During its earlier years, it seemed that the MCU could do no wrong. While the franchise still experienced its own share of initial setbacks, including the less than stellar critical reactions to sequels Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World, those films still managed to draw in impressive box office numbers and firmly kept the ever-growing franchise at the forefront of audiences’ minds. Now, with over 32 movies produced over the span of 15 years, lackluster box office predictions are gradually becoming a more frequent occurrence for the once-vaunted cinematic juggernaut.

Whether it is a result of an increasingly oversaturated market, diminished promotional efforts that have been hamstrung by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike action, or a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the franchise’s seeming lack of coherent direction post-Avengers: Endgame, the possible reasons for The Marvels own predicted numbers are many and varied. What it does highlight, however, is that the days of the MCU being able to churn out back-to-back box office blockbusters are slowly coming to an end.

However, it is possible that The Marvels may come to surprise everyone and overcome the disappointing predictions regarding its November opening. Yet even if it does not manage to succeed at the box office, Marvel Studios and Disney are well aware that a movie’s profitability does not merely end with ticket sales. With merchandising and future home video and streaming releases also on the horizon, it is unlikely these unfortunate predictions will present any kind of existential threat to the MCU as a whole.

Source: Box Office Pro