The MCU’s fourth phase has been a high point for the franchise with WandaVision scoring the studio its first Emmy win and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings breaking pandemic box office records.
Up next for Marvel is Eternals which is bringing some high expectations. Fresh off her Oscar win, Chloe Zhao is directing the film which is stacked to the brim with stars like Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, and Kit Harington.
Eternals so far has been gaining positive buzz and has even been singled out for a chance at the 2021 Oscars. However, with barely a week until the film releases in cinemas, not all the reviews have been favorable.
Eternals Earns MCU's First Rotten Score
As more critics' opinions are published, entertainment review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has been tracking an average score for Eternals. While the film was initially gaining hype it has gradually slipped below 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the first MCU film to earn a 'rotten' score.
This also makes it the current lowest-ranking Marvel Studios film on Rotten Tomatoes. A full list of the rankings can be seen below:
1.) Black Panther - 96%
2.) Avengers: Endgame - 94%
3.) Iron Man - 94%
4.) Thor: Ragnarok - 93%
5.) Spider-Man: Homecoming - 92%
6.) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – 92%
7.) The Avengers - 91%
8.) Guardians of the Galaxy - 91%
9.) Spider-Man: Far From Home - 91%
10.) Captain America: Civil War - 90%
11.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier - 90%
12.) Doctor Strange - 89%
13.) Ant-Man and the Wasp - 87%
14.) Avengers: Infinity War - 85%
15.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - 85%
16.) Ant-Man - 82%
17.) Captain America: The First Avenger - 80%
18.) Black Widow – 79%
19.) Iron Man 3 - 79%
20.) Captain Marvel - 79%
21.) Thor - 77%
22.) Avengers: Age of Ultron - 76%
23.) Iron Man 2 - 72%
24.) The Incredible Hulk - 67%
25.) Thor: The Dark World - 66%
26.) Eternals – 59%
Tough Love For Eternals
While Eternals is currently toeing the line between 'rotten' and 'fresh' on Rotten Tomatoes, it's worth mentioning that the score will probably shift a fair bit as the film opens in cinemas and more reviews are posted. Even since the time of writing this article Eternals has managed to shift back to 60% again.
Regardless of the score, it's a tough spot for Eternals to be in. The film is one of the most diverse Marvel Studios projects yet and between introducing the MCU's first deaf character and the first major LGBTQIA+ relationship on screen, Eternals has a lot riding on it. The film is already being unfairly review-bombed on IMDb for its inclusion of a gay couple and combined with this Rotten Tomatoes score, Eternals is facing an uphill battle.
The low review score comes as a bit of a surprise seeing as early reactions to Eternals were largely positive, but as the film opens in cinemas and fans start seeing it for themselves it should become a bit clearer whether this criticism is accurate or not.
Eternals opens in theaters on November 5.
