The Marvels, the newest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, released in theaters on November 10th, 2023. Starring Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel, and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, the movie focuses on the trio when their powers entangle, while also trying to fix the unintended consequences of the movie Captain Marvel. Prior to release, many people had predictions for The Marvels, almost all of which claimed the movie was going to flop, and it seems they were true.
The Marvels had the lowest opening weekend of any movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the box office, with only $47 million. Previously, the title belonged to The Incredible Hulk, which only made $55.4 million (not adjusted for inflation) during its opening weekend in 2008. As of November 30th, The Marvels raked in $77 million at the domestic box office and $187 million worldwide, shaping up to be the only film not to cross the $100 million mark domestically during its box office run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Personally, I would mostly agree with the predictions. None of the scenes in the movie stood out to me, and it felt like just another Marvel movie. Very little character development occurred outside of the reunion of Monica Rambeau and Captain Marvel.
Monica Rambeau was briefly introduced in Wandavision but with very little explanation as far as who she was or what she could do. Most of all, the film implied Rambeau was built up for the next movie, but in The Marvels, she is given almost no character depth. Instead, she is more of a third wheel for the more popular characters, Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel. As a huge Marvel fan, I found this very disappointing. I was expecting to learn more about each character and see them come together to become a team, but it never happened. I was also expecting to see other Marvel Cinematic Universe content come into play, like Secret Invasion, but it seemed as if the entire series and events had never happened.
Taking a step back, the movie wasn’t a complete flop. While it may not be my favorite Marvel movie, it still had fun parts with a big sisterhood vibe. There were many adorable scenes with Flerken, alien creatures who appear to be cats, and I was able to get a new story with Captain Marvel who had a cool team-up with Rambeau and Ms. Marvel.
The reason The Marvels is considered a flop is because it doesn’t meet the high bar the Marvel Cinematic Universe set, and it follows the same formula as most other Marvel movies. Another factor for it being a flop is the guarantee that the movie will come to Disney+ soon. Why go to a movie theater when you can watch it for free at home in a few months? Or rent it cheaper even sooner?
While The Marvels wasn’t my favorite movie, I would conclude that it wasn’t a bad movie either. It’s a perfect movie to throw on when you just want something to watch.
