
The Marvels hits theaters this weekend and is expected to be a box office flop. According to Box Office Pro, the newest Marvel movie is predicted to have a three-day opening weekend forecast of $35-$49 million.
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To put that into perspective, the opening weekend of Avengers: Endgame in 2019 hit $1.2 BILLION.
Even if you argue we aren’t comparing apples to apples with that example since its older and has more popular characters such as Captain America, Iron Man, or Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania grossed $104 million domestically in its opening weekend, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 earned 118.4 million domestically during its opening weekend.
The Marvels Flop
It’s safe to say that the appeal of Marvel movies (and Marvel fans) have withered away in recent years. With one or two exceptions, the last few Marvel movies have underperformed at the box office in the past couple of years. And despite the addition of Marvel characters like Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) and Monica Rambeau, it doesn’t look like anything will change with this Captain Marvel sequel.
Granted, general box office numbers have been down for multiple studios.
However, Disney does seem to be the most affected. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Haunted Mansion, Lightyear, and many other movies from the past year or two have failed to perform.
Related: Disney to Lose $1 BILLION With Indiana Jones 5
In fact, some have lost the company hundreds of millions of dollars. Some estimate that Disney has lost over $1 billion due to box office failures.
Whether blame is laid at the hands of Disney going “woke” or “toxic fans,” one thing is for sure – Disney is hurting. Despite the rosy picture Disney CEO Bob Iger tries to paint during earnings calls and interviews, everybody paying attention knows that the company has seen better days.
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Disney’s Money
Seldom people draw connections between the various revenue streams of the company. But that’s crucial. For years, the Walt Disney Company has used profits from its theme parks (specifically domestic theme parks) to subsidize other projects – particularly its films.
Related: Disney Loses BILLIONS at the Box Office
In theory, this makes sense. A big blockbuster movie will generate interest in the theme parks (especially if characters, shows, or attractions based on the film are present).
But what happens when the movies don’t do well? Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort suffer.
Canceled Disney World and Disneyland Projects
As the Walt Disney Company spends hundreds of millions to produce live-action remakes, Marvel sequels, and other movies, that money will not build new rides or attractions.
Related: ‘Snow White’ Remake May Be Most Expensive Movie Ever Made
In addition, if the movies aren’t a success, Disney doesn’t have many new IPs to work with. Likely, we will never see an attraction based on movies like Strange World, Elemental, or The Marvels. It would be a bad business decision – and Disney knows that.
Unfortunately, it seems like there is little appetite to change any direction in the studios or theme parks. The box office numbers for the upcoming movie The Marvels are only predictions. But it appears that it will be the worst-performing movie of any Marvel film. And that’s not a recipe for success, new theme park attractions, or profits.
So keep that in mind if you hear/see headlines like “The Marvels Flop” or that the newest box office bomb has terrible reviews. And don’t cry for Brie Larson who plays Captain Marvel or Kevin Feige who is running the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Weep for our beloved Disney Parks and all the canceled projects, lands, and attractions we will never see.