The wonders
MCU
“The Marvels” debuted Wednesday to subpar reviews, making it the third-worst MCU film of all time and also the third “bad” film in the series’ history. Well, at least one of these points has now changed.
At the time of writing yesterday, there are around 60 reviews for The Marvels, giving it a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But as time went on, dozens and dozens more reviews were added, and now that there are 145, the film has risen to 61%, just above the threshold to be considered “fresh” instead of “rotten” on the site.
However, this does not change the overall order. It’s still the third-worst rated MCU film, unless it manages to improve a few percent more and overtake Thor: Love and Thunder:
- Thor: The Dark World – 67%
- Thor Love and Thunder – 63%
- The Miracles – 61%
- Eternal – 47%
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – 46%
The wonders
RT
However, this is not impossible as the number of reviews increased by 7% as more reviews were received. But at this point it doesn’t matter if you’re the third or fourth worst Marvel movie. A lower score is reflected in the current quality narrative surrounding the MCU, but all eyes are on the film’s box office, which by most predictions could be one of the lowest in MCU history. Current projections are for an opening weekend of $50-$60 million in the U.S. and $140 million worldwide. With a budget of $200 million, it could end up being profitable, but there are marketing costs to consider, and regardless, it’s not a performance Disney wants to see.
Disney undoubtedly wants things to change with the next MCU film, Deadpool 3, which was introduced after the FOX acquisition and stars fan-favorite Hugh Jackman Wolverine. After that, the next projects are a “Captain America 4” without Chris Evans, the “Suicide Squad”-like “Thunderbolts” and the extremely problematic “Blade” production, whose script starts from scratch while trying to find its star, Mahershala Ali, not to lose. Back then, and now we’re talking about Phase 6 in mid-2025, it’s Fantastic Four, supposedly already cast, and the two Avengers films, The Kang Dynasty, where its star Jonathan Majors could theoretically be in prison by then, and Secret Wars, which is in constant flux given everything that’s going on.
I’m sure Disney is hoping The Marvels hits a low point and things turn around from there. They’re already changing things up at Disney Plus and creating standalone shows that require less “homework.” They also lean more toward adult fare. Echo has an MA rating, and the new Daredevil show probably will too. Deadpool 3 and Blade are both rated R. At least with The Marvels, targeting a younger audience doesn’t seem to have paid off, and Marvel could instead start courting mostly older fans, judging by the nature of their upcoming projects.
As the days go by, we will get audience reaction and box office numbers for The Marvels. I’ll see it tomorrow and then think about it myself.
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I’ve been writing about video games, television, and movies for Forbes for over 10 years, and you may have seen my reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. I cover all types of console and PC gaming, but when it comes to looting or shooting, I’m definitely there. When I watch something, it’s usually science fiction, horror, or superheroes. I’m also a regular on IGN’s Fireteam Chat podcast and have published five science fiction novels.
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