“The wake-up calls have learned their lesson! », “The right-thinking left has hit a wall!” », “The feminists have pushed the boundaries too far! », “Studios will start making films that interest the real world again”…
Posted at 7:00 p.m.
Last week it was talked about in the most conservative and anti-feminist corners of the media and social networks. “The Marvels,” the latest superhero film in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), topped the North American box office, but also had the worst first weekend in Marvel Studios history at the box office: $47 million.
That’s a lot more than many other Hollywood films, but less than the 32 previous MCU films in 15 years and a far cry from the sum of around 270 million invested in the production.
For many, it was enough to rejoice at the setbacks of this umpteenth cinematic derivative of the Marvel comics. Some because they’re tired of superheroes, others because they’re tired of seeing racialized women in action films whose lead roles have traditionally been played by white men.
“Up, go bust,” popular podcast host Tim Pool told his 1.8 million followers on X in response to the Marvels’ tentative debut. His formula was adopted almost universally in conservative circles. A number of right-wing commentators immediately rushed to declare victory over Marvel’s Wokes on their YouTube channels and elsewhere.
Uninhibited sexism and racism have, of course, fueled some of the attacks aimed at discrediting “The Marvels,” a film directed by a black woman (Nia DaCosta), written by three women and starring three women Starring characters, including an African American woman (Teyonah Parris). ) and a Canadian-Pakistani (Iman Vellani).
It was to be expected. It’s the usual backlash from “bros” and “guys” allergic to superhero films, coupled with conservatives’ disdain for cultural productions that, in their opinion, are too concerned with concepts such as the representation of diversity (ethnic, sexual, etc.). ) occupy .). Disney, the studio that owns Marvel, has been their preferred destination for several months.
PHOTO PHILIP CHEUNG, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Advertising for The Marvels in Hollywood
This predictable backlash was undoubtedly one of the factors in Marvels’ poor box office performance. But it doesn’t explain everything. “One factor is misogyny, but it’s not just that,” concluded Fiston, with whom I watched The Marvels as well as the 32 other MCU films. Aside: I’m not sure I knew the word “misogyny” at 17, let alone its meaning.
Son is right. It’s more complex. In short, the anti-wokes place great value on themselves. The anti-feminist tsunami that preceded the theatrical release of “Captain Marvel,” of which “The Marvels” is in some ways a sequel, had exposed the limits of the movement in 2019. The bombardment of poor user reviews on sites like Rotten Tomatoes didn’t stop the Brie Larson-starring film from grossing more than $1 billion worldwide in 2019.
If not the film’s masculinist or racist blockage, then what explains Marvel’s slow start? This can be partly explained by the fact that the actresses in the film were unable to promote it due to the Hollywood actors’ strike that ended with the release of The Marvels.
Added to this is the fact that the superhero market is saturated, particularly due to the excessive number of Marvel TV series that have flooded the Disney+ platform since its launch. How many characters and parallel universes can coexist in a single film and television series without them becoming repetitive and giving the impression that we’re putting over the sauce? We’re starting to have the answer.
Finally, there’s the fact that, unlike the Avengers series, The Marvels isn’t an essential film in the MCU, even if it is entertaining. More than anything, it’s the archetype of the overcomplicated film that reflects a problem that Marvel created from the ground up. By complicating and diluting its cinematic universe with television versions of its films on the Disney+ platform, the MCU has shot itself in the foot. Too much is like not enough.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARVEL STUDIOS
Flerkens float in space
Even though I have seen all of the MCU films as well as the Ms. Marvel and WandaVision series from which the main characters of The Marvels come, parts of the plot were still lost on me. Where do all these alien kittens come from? Who made them appear?
I am willing to accept that my cognitive abilities are gradually declining as I get older. But what if I, who have all the keys to understanding, cannot grasp all the nuances – or the logic? – from a superhero film that constantly switches from drama to comedy to musical, I’m probably not the only one.
It’s not that The Marvels turned a lot of people off because it was too woke. That’s because navigating Marvel Studios’ ever-expanding multiverse is becoming increasingly complicated.