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Ever since The Marvels tanked at the box office during its opening weekend, fans and filmmakers have been trying to figure out what went wrong. Disney CEO Bob Iger, for his part, is blaming the Covid pandemic.
Speaking during the NYT DealBook Summit 2023, Iger blamed The Marvel’s box office failure on the sheer volume of content being created during the pandemic, making it more difficult to maintain quality. Iger said, "The Marvels was shot during Covid, and there wasn't enough supervision on set [from executives].”
After The Marvels brought in record-low box office figures over its opening weekend, making $47 million, many fans put the movie’s lackluster performance down to superhero fatigue, the lack of publicity, or even in some cases, the actors. Some viewers, including Stephen King, seemed to think the film's hatred was driven by sexism from a small number of fans upset over a film helmed by three women.
However, it doesn't look like this is a case of widespread superhero fatigue, as Marvel's last big movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, managed to bring in a whopping $118 million on its opening weekend. This makes Iger’s point seem more likely, but given the fact that historically Marvel has found major success in giving executives creative control, we can't be too sure.
Directed by Nia DaCosta, the film follows three powerful women who must team up to save the universe after their powers become mysteriously intertwined. The cast includes Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson, Ms Marvel’s Iman Vellani, and WandaVision's Teyonah Parris.
The Marvels is in theaters now. For more MCU madness see our list of upcoming Marvel movies and shows, or check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
