The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s biggest box office bomb has proven itself the most important Multiverse Saga movie to date for a few reasons, setting the stage for the franchise’s biggest events. It is no surprise that the MCU has somewhat struggled during the last few years, with some of the most criticized MCU movies being released, such as Eternals and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Towards the end of the Infinity Saga, it seemed like every MCU movie had a shot at $1 billion. However, with the MCU’s recent woes, that has changed. Marvel’s 2025 movies make that clear, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the highest grosser, making just $521.9 million. Still, a film can matter despite poor box office numbers, and a 2023 entry is crucial for Marvel.
The Marvels Is The MCU’s Biggest Box Office Bomb
The Multiverse Saga has changed the game when it comes to the MCU’s box office, but mostly not in a positive way, sadly. That includes Marvel releasing the franchise’s worst performer to date. The Marvels grossed a disappointing $206.1 million, ranking lower than The Incredible Hulk‘s $265.6 million. With a reported total cost of $374 million, The Marvels lost the studio millions.
The Marvels‘ financial situation gets even worse when comparing the movie to the first entry in Brie Larson’s MCU franchise. 2019’s Captain Marvel grossed a massive $1.13 billion. Given that the movie was released between Avengers entries, it was always going to do more than The Marvels. However, no one could have foreseen such a disastrous follow-up at the box office.
All 3 Reasons Why The Marvels Is The Multiverse Saga’s Most Important Movie So Far
While The Marvels was a disappointment in terms of its box office, the movie’s story will still impact upcoming MCU releases, and it did a couple of things that more Multiverse Saga entries should have used. To start, The Marvels‘ X-Men post-credits scene is a game-changer. By leaving Monica Rambeau trapped in another universe, the MCU introduced a version of Fox’s original X-Men.
With many actors from that franchise confirmed for the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, The Marvels will be directly connected to one of the MCU’s biggest releases ever. The film’s exploration of another universe could also impact the Avengers movie in another big way. If an incursion pits the X-Men’s Earth against the main MCU, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have a reason not to destroy them.
That is because the X-Men’s universe is the home of a variant of Monica Rambeau’s mother, Maria. As such, Monica, Captain Marvel, and Ms. Marvel would never allow the heroes to destroy it to save themselves. Finally, The Marvels is also important because it spotlights MCU TV show characters in a movie, and teams up Multiverse Saga heroes, which the franchise has been lacking.
- Release Date
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November 10, 2023
- Runtime
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105 minutes
- Director
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Nia DaCosta
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Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel
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Teyonah Parris
Monica Rambeau
