Summary

• The Marvels' disappointing opening weekend box office is a clear problem, with only $47 million compared to The Incredible Hulk's $55 million in 2008.
• The absence of stars like Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson due to SAG-AFTRA strikes hindered the movie's marketing drive and word-of-mouth promotion.
• The negative early reviews criticizing the film's messy plot and lackluster villain added to the financial failure of The Marvels, highlighting the disconnect between critics and audiences.

MCU history.

the MCU is in crisis.

12 The SAG-Aftra Strike Prevented The Stars From Promoting The Marvels

Larson, Parris, and Vellani Have Great Chemistry That Carry The Film

The star power of Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson alone was an exceptionally useful tool that was woefully yet unavoidably underutilized. The SAG-AFTRA strikes, which only ended upon the movie's release, precluded the stars from contributing to the marketing drive in any way, meaning that fans of the leading cast were not encouraged to view the movie throughout the marketing phase of its release. The radio silence likely had a huge effect on the word-of-mouth portion of Marvel's marketing plan, with a hamstrung cast being unable to drum up enthusiasm before the weekend.

11 The Marvels’ Press Tour Was Weakened By No Actors

Non-Acting Contributors Like Director Nia DaCosta And Composer Laura Karpman Engaged In The Press Tour Instead

In addition to the stars of The Marvels being unable to lend their collective voices to the marketing drive for the movie, the press tour - which still went ahead at the height of the SAG-AFTRA strikes - was conspicuously devoid of the movie's main stars. It is typically during these that fans get to see the actors laud the movie, demonstrate the chemistry between them, and even go viral through some iconic interview moments. The opportunity to see Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris engage in the press circuit together, however, never arose before The Marvels was released.

Related: The Marvels Cliffhanger Ending Explained & MCU Future Set-Up Explained

10 Early Reviews Were Largely Negative

Reviews Criticized The Marvels' Lackluster Villain And Messy Plot

One of the most crucial moments for a film's success is the state of the early picture painted by critics. For The Marvels, that picture was not pretty. Early reviews took a largely negative view of The Marvels, citing a messy script and an uninspiring villain. Despite this, according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, audiences saw things decidedly differently from the critics, making The Marvels one of the latest movies to demonstrate the gulf that has arisen multiple times between audiences and critics.

9 The MCU Has Been Hemorrhaging Audiences Since Endgame

The Finality Of Endgame Has Encouraged Casual Audiences To Lose Interest In The MCU

Ever since the MCU brought the decade-spanning Infinity Saga to an end, it began to lose the interest of its audience. Not helped by the fact that the MCU still lingers on its unfathomably successful first saga in recent releases (even The Marvels features Thanos in its trailer for some reason), nor the fact that reports suggest Marvel is considering bringing characters back whose stories reached a satisfying conclusion, the zeitgeist surrounding The Multiverse Saga is comparatively lackluster. The Marvels' failure to pull in more audiences than The Incredible Hulk on opening weekend is an illustration of just how dire the situation has become.

8 The MCU Has Suffered From Drama And Bad Press

Reports Indicate Behind-The-Scenes Drama And Chaos In Addition To Majors' Ongoing Legal Problems

A slew of leaks from those familiar with Marvel's inner workings has painted a pretty grim picture of the MCU in crisis. Behind-the-scenes turmoil may result in acts of desperation that include reviving of the original cast, like Robert Downey Jr, to try and reignite the erstwhile ion for the franchise that they helped to generate. The public trial of Kang actor Jonathan Majors also hasn't helped matters, as executives have discussed replacing him altogether. The negative press at such a crucial time certainly helping audience trust in the MCU, and it shows with The Marvels.

7 The Loki Season 2 Finale May Have Overshadowed The Marvels

The Loki Finale Has Been Well Received And Landed One Day Before The Marvels

Glimmers of hope throughout the largely sub-optimal year for Marvel have taken the form of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Loki Season 2. The latter has been widely lauded as one of the MCU's finest achievements, and anticipation for the finale was at a fever pitch when it rolled around last week. This, ironically, will have contributed to The Marvels' failure as it played second fiddle in viewers' list of MCU priorities. Additionally, the finale's quality set a bar so high that The Marvels may seem comparatively worse.

6 Internet Backlash To Female And POC-Led Marvel Movies

Stellar Representation In The Marvels Has Garnered A Measure Of All-Too-Familiar Backlash

It is an unfortunate fact that certain netizens are still averse to female and POC-led movies. The Marvels is a great example of MCU representation, featuring a swathe of minority actors in leading and ing roles. A cursory glance at the comments section of most of the movie's marketing material is a harrowing reminder that distaste for such a state of affairs is still very much alive. Captain Marvel was one of the most notorious victims of review-bombing as a result of its lead and attempts at representation in an MCU movie. Still, Captain Marvel's opening weekend grossed more than triple that of The Marvels, indicating a wider array of issues.

5 Casual Fans May Not Know Ms. Marvel And Monica Rambeau

The Marvels' Stars Two Characters From Two Different Disney+ TV Shows

A Disney Plus subscription is now a necessary part of keeping abreast of the MCU's wider narrative, as many heroes have made their debuts as part of a series instead of a movie. Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan, whose origins were portrayed in the Disney Plus WandaVision and Ms. Marvel series, respectively, will therefore be completely unknown to casual MCU fans who restrict their consumption to cinematic releases. Depicting these characters as part of the eponymous protagonists of The Marvels will have failed to stoke enthusiasm among such audiences, who may instead feel they are too out-of-the-loop to enjoy the movie's central premise.

4 The Marvels Has The MCU’s First Musical Sequence

The Unusual Scene May Not Have Worked For Some Audiences

While a daring foray into one of the many unexplored genres in the MCU, the sequence that saw Danvers and company visit a planet whose residents communicate exclusively through song and dance may have missed the mark with some audiences. It was certainly a scene that came out of left field, and possibly the most Disney-like the MCU has ever looked. For those still reeling from Thor: Love & Thunder's overindulgence in comedy and lighthearted beats in the face of pretty significant threats, however, this divisive scene may have been a step too far.

3 Disney Spoiled The Marvels’ Big X-Men Reveal In Its Final Trailer

The X-Men Logo Can Be Seen In One Of The Marvels' Trailers

One of the most glaring acts of desperation from Marvel in the face of abysmal box office projections was how it all but declared that the X-Men would be making an appearance in The Marvels. Several not-so-subtle moments in the trailers for The Marvels included a lingering "X" in the line "What comes next," and Nick Fury's conspicuous "they're here" line. While Marvel is no stranger to bait-and-switch teases for anticipated MCU moments, the context in which these took place made pulling a fast one a risky endeavor that Marvel could not afford. Ironically, Marvel instead quashed anticipation for a possible X-Men reveal by basically confirming it ahead of time.