Will our superheroes be able to overcome the crisis? That’s what many on both sides of the ocean are wondering after the final chapter, the thirty-third, of the Marvel saga recorded terrible box office results, not only in America. The Nia Da Costa-directed film, starring Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris, grossed $47 million in its opening weekend in the US, well below the, albeit conservative, projections of $60 to 65 million. The franchise’s worst performance ever, which began with Iron Man in 2008. In the rest of the world things are no better: here, as we know, it is Paola Cortellesi’s Delia, our Barbie, who dominates the revenue: she is still there tomorrow, surpassing 14 million euros and two million viewers, during The Marvels on November 14th took second place at the Cinetel with 2,096,116 viewers. In China, it was surpassed by a local crime thriller Who’s The Suspect. As a reminder, the Captain Marvel sequel cost $200 million.
Therefore, warns The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is changing its strategy. The three planned Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films will not start again in 2024: Only Deadpool 3 by Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds will be distributed with Hugh Jackman in the Wolverine part, which will be released on July 26th. It will be the first film in the Deadpool franchise since Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, and the first R-rated film (labeled “Rated R”) to be distributed by Marvel Studios. The group of superheroes who have moved from comics to the big (and small) screen, led by President Kevin Feige – who has dictated the law at the box office with $30 billion in ticket sales worldwide over the last fifteen years – shows Signs of fatigue.
Thanks to a production overdose with an excess of titles that followed each other between theatrical releases and those for the Disney + platform, with a tangle of plots and subplots that, following in the multiverse, becomes complex even for the most ardent nerds. And even the clues that, in the case of the superheroines of The Marvels, traditionally come from the clues provided by the post-credits scenes, have raised new questions instead of dispelling doubts. Will a new team, the Young Avengers, take over the rescue?
That’s the question asked by fans who have provided enthusiastic support but also growing doubts in recent years. And many think back to what Martin Scorsese said in an interview: “I don’t see Marvel films, I tried.” But they are not cinema.” Except then, given the answers of the numerous directors and especially the an actors involved in the saga, such as Samuel L. Jackson (also in the cast of The Marvels), who specified in a New York Times editorial: “The fact that they don’t interest me is just a matter of personal taste. I’m sure if I were younger I might even want to direct one. But the films I trained on were different. Bergman, Fellini, Fuller. While in film comics, according to Scorsese, “there is no revelation, mystery, or authentic emotional danger.” Images are created to meet a set of requirements and are designed as variations on a finite number of themes.
It should be noted that this actually shows signs of wear, which Disney and Marvel Studio were already aware of before the release of the film in which Brie Larson returns to the Captain Marvel suit. Things were much better four years ago, which is why the actress responded to misogynistic comments that pointed to the decline of the three female-directed superheroes. Comments have already been rejected by Stephen King on social media. «I find them unpleasant. Why rejoice in failure?”