As Marvel Studios moves from 2021 into 2022, MCU fans are now looking forward to the opportunity to enjoy one of the studio's most recent theatrical releases in a home setting. This will come in the middle of January with Chloé Zhao's Eternals, which had a wild roller-coaster experience in theaters due to a mix of disappointing critical reviews and positive fan reactions.
Even throughout the difficult experience the film had due to the pandemic in terms of box office revenue, Eternals still came out as one of the top earners of 2021 alongside its three MCU counterparts. With the fifth-best opening weekend of the year outside of its Marvel Studios' companions and October's Venom: Let There Be Carnage, fans were eager to see what came in this cosmic expansion to the franchise.
While Eternals earned a widely positive fan reception, Rotten Tomatoes dropped a major bomb when the film earned the lowest rating in MCU history; that number now sits at 47%, still at the bottom of the franchise's rankings.
Now, as Disney and Marvel prepare to give the movie its long-awaited digital release, Zhao has a message for those still questioning that low number.
Chloe Zhao Responds to Poor Eternals Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes' Instagram page shared a poster for Marvel Studios' Eternals along with its current 47% Tomatometer score and its 78% Audience Score. The post also had the following question as its caption:
"Does Chloé Zhao’s superhero epic Eternals really deserve to be ranked at the bottom of the MCU?"
Eternals' director Chloé Zhao responded to this image asking if it deserved that rating herself while inviting fans to "join the fun debate" when the film hits Disney+ on January 12. Additionally, she teased numerous features coming with this release, including her own commentary on the MCU movie:
"Does it..? Join the fun debate or if you are not sure, check it out on Disney+ on January 12 with directors commentary and many features."
The full image from Zhao's Instagram Stories can be seen below:
Eternals Director Urges Fans to Watch Disney+ Release
Rotten Tomatoes' score for Eternals has been a hot topic ever since the rating first became public, particularly since it started a discussion about how widely varied opinions on the film were. Other review sites gave the film a similar ranking amongst its historical MCU companions, although there were entities and individuals that view Eternals highly regardless of its poor critical reception.
This isn't the first time Zhao has addressed these poor reviews, making sure to heap praise and thanks upon all the cast and crew with whom she worked on the film as fans questioned the low ratings coming online. These ratings don't appear to have deterred her from taking on other projects with Marvel Studios as well, already having discussed that future with studio president Kevin Feige.
As Eternals makes its arrival on Disney+, fans will have the chance to revisit everything Zhao delivered in her 156-minute epic and analyze all the details of what went into the story and production. How that affects the film's public perception is unclear, but it provides a moment for fans to see for themselves what Zhao and her team are so proud of.
Eternals will begin streaming on Disney+ on January 12, 2021.
