Marvel Studios Admits Why the Last Few MCU Movies Failed At The Box Office

Marvel Studios' leading executive shared an explanation for why a couple of the MCU's most recent movies did not perform well at the box office. Since the start of the Multiverse Saga (which came in a post-pandemic world), Marvel Studios has had its share of struggles with its movies at the box office, particularly during Phase 5. Looking at why that happened, the man in charge of the entire story gave insight into why that may have happened.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explained why Thunderbolts* and The Marvels underperformed at the worldwide box office after their releases. Both coming in the MCU's Phase 5 slate, Thunderbolts* and The Marvels were on opposite ends of the spectrum regarding how good audiences and critics believed they were. Now, with time to reflect, Feige has thoughts on what happened with both films.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about Thunderbolts*, Feige admitted there was a lot of homework for the movie, as multiple movies and Disney+ shows set up the film's story. He noted how fans were "feeling the residual effects" of having to have seen so many other projects to understand the movie's characters. However, while he explained how the team behind Thunderbolts* made it so that this would not be the case, he also felt the team had to "make sure the audience understands that:"

"Some of them were still feeling the residual effects of that notion of, 'I guess I had to have seen these other shows to understand who this is.' I think if you actually saw the movie, that wouldn't be the case, and we make the movie so that's not the case. But I think we still have to make sure the audience understands that."

He addressed the same concept with Deadline when addressing 2023's The Marvels, which is the MCU's lowest-grossing movie to date theatrically. Following that disappointing run, Feige's takeaway was that most moviegoers did not see The Marvels in theaters because they were not caught up with Ms. Marvel on Disney+. That series directly tied into the events of The Marvels due to Iman Vellani's involvement in both as Kamala Khan.

The Marvels ($200 million globally) and Thunderbolts* ($382 million) are two of the five lowest-grossing movies at the box office in MCU history, with The Marvels ranking dead last in that department. While The Marvels reviews were mixed across the board, Thunderbolts* was one of the best-reviewed movies in recent MCU history upon its debut this year.

Starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, and Samuel L. Jackson, The Marvels was Disney's last 2023 theatrical release. The film assembled the three titular heroes when Ms. Marvel's bangle became intertwined with a similar bangle possessed by the villainous Dar-Benn, putting the universe in jeopardy. 

Meanwhile, Thunderbolts* brought antiheroes from multiple franchises together behind stars like Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Lewis Pullman, and more. Brought together by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the titular team is forced to take down the villainous Sentry, who is teased to be one of the most powerful villains in MCU history. The Marvels is streaming on Disney+. Thunderbolts* is still playing in theaters and is available for purchase or rent digitally. 

How the MCU Can Succeed at the Box Office Again

Over the past couple of years, Marvel has taken a step back in terms of its creative process, reevaluating its values and working to fix the issues that arose in Phase 4 and Phase 5. While cutting down on the volume of releases in favor of quantity is sure to help in the long run, the MCU has a few films in the works that have a real shot at being box office hits.

Coming in most immediately is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the MCU's first attempt at a Fantastic Four movie, which will also bring the introduction of the all-powerful Galactus. Reviews for The Fantastic Four have already teased another big hit for the MCU. Additionally, after DC Studios' Superman had a nine-figure opening weekend financially, Marvel hopes to match those numbers with its next film, coming out only two weeks later.

The franchise's next movie after that will be Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which comes after Spider-Man: No Way Home became the MCU's biggest solo film ever with a box office haul of nearly $2 billion. The Spidey franchise is usually a winner for the MCU, and with a thrilling story teased to be in play for Tom Holland and crew, its July 2026 release should bring massive returns for Marvel Studios.

Next up for the MCU after that is the two-part culmination to the entire Multiverse Saga, December 2026's Avengers: Doomsday and December 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. After both movies had their release dates delayed, and with both of them expected to feature massive casts, this duo has fans hoping to see the MCU definitively back on top of the movie world behind the Russo brothers as directors and Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.

With plenty of exciting new theatrical releases on the horizon, Marvel Studios has a real chance in the next couple of years to get back to the box office hauls it grew accustomed to in years past.